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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffYou may be at risk of the disease if you travel to an area where mosquitoes continue to carry the yellow fever virus. These areas include sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South America.
Even if there aren't current reports of infected humans in these areas, it doesn't mean you're risk-free. It's possible that local populations have been vaccinated and are protected from the disease, or that cases of yellow fever just haven't been detected and officially reported.
If you're planning on traveling to these areas, you can protect yourself by getting a yellow fever vaccine at least 10 to 14 days before traveling.
Anyone can be infected with the yellow fever virus, but older adults are at greater risk of getting seriously ill.
- Monath TP. Yellow fever. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 20, 2011.
- Yellow fever fact sheet. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/yellowfever/YF_FactSheet.html. Accessed July 19, 2011.
- Hayes EB. Flaviviruses. In: Long SS. Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases Revised Reprint. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7020-3468-8..50224-8&isbn=978-0-7020-3468-8&uniqId=267749278-4#4-u1.0-B978-0-7020-3468-8..50224-8. Accessed July 19, 2011.
- Yellow fever frequently asked questions. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/yellowfever/YF_FAQ.html. Accessed July 19, 2011.
- Yellow fever vaccine. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/YellowFever/vaccine/index.html. Accessed July 19, 2011.
- Insect repellent use and safety. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/qa/insect_repellent.htm. Accessed July 19, 2011.
- Vaccinations. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/content/vaccinations.aspx. Accessed July 20, 2011.
- Possible side-effects from vaccines. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side-effects.htm#yf. Accessed July 20, 2011.
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