How Old Do You Have to Be To Receive Yellow Fever Vaccine?

Discussion In the United States, Yellow Fever (YF) is rare and usually due to traveler’s coming to the US from Africa (34 countries) or South America (13 countries, see maps here) This wasn’t always true. There were numerous outbreaks in the past few centuries. However, after the Spanish-American War, a YF commission was sent to Cuba that proved YF was mosquito-borne and 1 year later major improvement was seen due to a multi-pronged mosquito control program. “In May 1900, the U.S. Army,…formed the U.S. Army Yellow Fever Commission to gather data in Cuba that might inspire improvements in the public health campaign. A little-known medical army medical researcher, Major Walter Reed, was appointed to lead the group…. [T]he public health campaign of 1901 was historic. The occupation government instituted an unprecedented mosquito control program in Havana. Brigades of Cuban workers fumigated houses, eliminated sources of standing water, and quarantined infected yellow fever patients in rooms protected by mosquito nets. The results were dramatic. In less than a year, yellow fever had been virtually eradicated in Havana, providing the ultimate demonstration that [the] mosquito theory was correct.” One of the US’s national military medical centers in Bethesda Maryland is named for Walter Reed. YF is endemic in parts of all of 47 countries. In 2013, it caused 84-170,000 severe cases and 29-60,000 deaths. It is a mosquito-borne Flavivirus....
Source: PediatricEducation.org - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news