The Time Is Now! : Yellow Fever Vaccination On the Rise

Summer may be gone but the door is still opened for mosquitoes to begin making their presence known. One would think that a bite from one of these insects is nothing to be concerned about because it is very common, but mosquitoes have been known to sometimes carry and transmit certain life-threatening diseases to people. One of the most dangerous is yellow fever.

No, this is not an article about mosquitoes but it is about how soon we must combat the threat of yellow fever, which especially in tropical regions around the globe has become more prevalent in recent years. Now, this is not to inflict fear upon anyone who is planning to enjoy a vacation on a nice beach or resort in some tropical region of any sorts but of course, our health is the most precious yet sensitive entity we must take care, especially if we are planning to visit regions where mosquitoes that carry yellow fever are common.

The mosquitoes that carry the virus principally exist in tropical and subtropical areas throughout the world. Symptoms of the virus become noticeable about three to six days after exposure. Yellow fever in its’ early stages presents flu-like symptoms such as fever, consistent headaches, nausea, vomiting, and muscle aches which makes the virus hard to detect and differentiate from other illnesses. Only in its’ later stages do the more critical symptoms appear such as liver damage, bleeding of the gums, bloody urination, the slowing down and weakening of the pulse which leads to the occurrence of jaundice (yellow pigmentation of the skin). If not treated, internal bleeding can worsen which in turn can lead to permanent damage of the liver and ultimately even death. According to the World Health Organization, there are more than 200,000 new cases of the virus every year with 30,000 of those cases becoming fatal.

 
According to the Department of Health from New York, there is reportedly no specific treatment for yellow fever but the only solution recommended to prevent infection would be immunization (or vaccination) especially for travelers who are planning to travel to areas where the virus exists. How soon should it be taken? If you are planning to travel this summer, the time is now. If you were considering possibly just taking a repellant against mosquitoes, it is no guarantee that it’ll prevent mosquito bites especially since most repellants wear off after only a couple of hours. 

The yellow fever vaccination is being highly recommended for travelers. No worries should be taken into consideration when pondering about the side effects as they are known to be only minor flu-like symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, soreness, redness or swelling where the shot was given. It occurs in up to 1 out of 4 persons and wears off after only a couple of days.  

Taking the time to schedule an appointment to receive vaccination would be bliss for you! Why? According to an article published by the World Health Organization in its’ Weekly Epidemiological Record, it is revealed that SAGE (Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on immunization) has reviewed and concluded that a single dose of the vaccine is sufficient enough to conjure life-long immunity against the virus! The time is now, it is not too late to schedule an appointment at a travel vaccination clinic for a yellow fever vaccination. For more info, visit us at our website at www.travelclinicny.com or call us at 212-696-5900 to schedule an appointment.