Yellow fever, a viral disease transmitted by mosquitos, can cause yellow skin (jaundice), bleeding, high fever, muscle aches, and severe illness sometimes leading to death. A number of different mosquitos transmit the yellow fever virus to humans. This is a picture of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, a day-biting mosquito that transmits yellow fever in Africa.
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Yellow Fever  Information for adults

Picture of Yellow Fever: Yellow fever, a viral disease transmitted by mosquitos, can cause yellow skin (jaundice), bleeding, high fever, muscle aches, and severe illness sometimes leading to death. Divider line
Yellow fever, a viral disease transmitted by mosquitos, can cause yellow skin (jaundice), bleeding, high fever, muscle aches, and severe illness sometimes leading to death.
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Overview
Yellow fever is a viral illness caused by the bite of a mosquito carrying the yellow fever virus. Yellow fever received its name from the yellow discoloration (known as jaundice) to some patients' skin. Yellow fever can cause only mild illness – with only fever and headache – or it can cause a much more serious illness, with damage to every major organ system (heart, kidneys, liver) and eventually massive bleeding (hemorrhage) due to liver failure. The most severe infections are up to 50% fatal, though only a small percentage (15%) of cases are severe. Most people recover from yellow fever. The infection is only passed from mosquito to human; there is no human-to-human transmission.
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Last Modified: 22 Dec 2008
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