Yellow Fever

Yellow Fever Yellow Fever, or Flavivirus Taxon, is a virus that kills 30,000 people yearly. It is carried by mosquitoes, which feed on humans. Currently, it is only found in South America and Africa. It is non-contagious and can only be caught once. Someone could tell if they have Yellow Fever if they have a sudden onset of a fever and a headache, followed by jaundice. After a few days the carrier will have black vomit …

…in skin pigment, causing the person to turn yellowish; hence the name Yellow Fever. The virus also causes hemorrhaging. People started catching Yellow Fever when building the Panama Canal. In 1881 Carlos Finlay concluded that Yellow Fever was contracted from mosquitoes. Walter Reed later confirmed this in 1901. This problem was solved by sanitation such as cleaning still water where mosquitoes breed. The virus was brought to America through slave trade but is no longer infecting there.