Yellow Fever

Overview

  • Yellow fever is caused by a virus that is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. The word “yellow” in the name refers to the jaundice from liver damage that affects some patients, causing a yellowing of their skin and eyes.
  • Yellow fever is found in tropical areas of Africa and South America.
  • There is no cure for yellow fever. Fortunately, the majority of infected patients improve and their symptoms disappear after 3 to 4 days. However, 15% of patients enter a second, more toxic, phase of the disease. About half of the patients who enter the second phase die within 10 to 14 days, the rest recover.
  • Vaccination is the most important preventive measure against yellow fever.

Yellow Fever Vaccine Schedule

Yellow Fever Vaccine Schedule

People (older than 9 months of age) should only be vaccinated if they are at risk of exposure to the yellow fever virus or require proof of vaccination for country entry. For most people, a single lifetime dose of vaccine is effective in protecting from yellow fever. The vaccine is available only in designated facilities authorized to administer yellow fever vaccine.

Partner Resources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Yellow Fever Virus

General information about the disease and vaccination from CDC.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Travelers’ Health: Yellow Fever

The yellow fever chapter from the CDC Yellow Book for travel-associated infections and diseases. CDC also has a Destinations tool to find the latest health and vaccine information by country.

International Society of Travel Medicine. Promoting healthy travel since 1991.
Global Clinic Directory

The online global clinic directory is a database of International Society of Travel Medicine members and their global travel clinics. Users can search by location and by services offered.

Where To Get Vaccinated

State and local information for vaccination resources near you.

CDC’s Search for Yellow Fever Vaccination Clinics

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