A yellow flag on the horizon: The looming threat of yellow fever to North America

International Journal of Infectious Diseases : IJID : Official Publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases
Rodrigo JácomeSamuel Ponce de León

Abstract

Yellow fever virus historically was a frequent threat to American and European coasts. Medical milestones such as the discovery of mosquitoes as vectors and subsequently an effective vaccine significantly reduced its incidence, in spite of which, thousands of cases of this deathly disease still occur regularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Amazonian basin in South America, which are usually not reported. An urban outbreak in Angola, consecutive years of increasing incidence near major Brazilian cities, and imported cases in China, South America and Europe, have brought this virus back to the global spotlight. The aim of this article is to underline that the preventive YFV measures, such as vaccination, need to be carefully revised in order to minimize the risks of new YFV outbreaks, especially in urban or immunologically vulnerable places. Furthermore, this article highlights the diverse factors that have favored the spread of other Aedes spp.-associated arboviral diseases like Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika, to northern latitudes causing epidemics in the United States and Europe, emphasizing the possibility that YFV might follow the path of these viruses unless enhanced surveillance and efficient control systems are urgently ini...Continue Reading

Citations

Jun 11, 2020·Scientific Reports·Rodrigo JácomeAntonio Lazcano
Oct 3, 2020·Southern Medical Journal·Zachary J Madewell
Apr 9, 2020·Pathogens·Didier Fontenille, Jeffrey R Powell
Sep 28, 2020·Antiviral Research·Ricardo Sanchez-VelazquezMargus Varjak

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