Yellow fever

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Yellow Fever #2

By

Professor

SCB260 General Microbiology

Introduction

Yellow fever virus (YFV) is currently a worldwide problem that requires urgent attention for its effects to be mitigated since the 18th century. Following the rampant epidemics, mass production and global supply of the vaccine is essential for control of yellow fever to the vulnerable population in the world. There is limited availability of the vaccine where the cases of outbreak continue to be on a rise. There is a need to push the campaign in the fight against this disease which has impacted the society negatively in many ways.

Changes in Government Policy and Healthcare System

The government has had a lot of strategies to prevent and control the yellow fever disease. The strategies include first aiding in detection and control of the disease. There is at least one confirmed case of yellow fever daily in the United States. According to Camargo et al, the government has mechanisms as well that helps in aiding in early and immediate reporting in case there is any yellow fever case that has been identified. This will help in avoiding spreading to other people. The suspected patients usually have their specimens collected and then taken to the lab so that there could be very well clearly stated results and not suspicion[footnoteRef:1]. [1: Camargo, Carolina, Yasir H. Ahmed-Braimah, I. Alexandra Amaro, Laura C. Harrington, Mariana F. Wolfner, and Frank W. Avila. "Mating and blood-feeding induce transcriptome changes in the spermathecae of the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti." Scientific Reports 10, no. 1 (2020): 1-13. ]

When a person tests positive for the disease, there are some ways on how the medication is usually got. Emergency immunization response and activities are underway and through this, the government is ensuring that people will not be contacting the disease, even though they might contract it the impacts that it could have caused is always minimized. This is given to all people irrespective of the immunization history. The childhood immunization against the disease is automatic. The yellow fever surveillance has been improved by the government. This is because the government prioritizes the diseases to be surveyed when the disease has got a high number of deaths. Surveillance for this type of disease is very important because when some measures are taken, the outbreak of these diseases can completely be prevented and controlled.

Public Awareness

The awareness campaigns have been on the rise about the yellow fever disease. This is known as the life saver and preventive campaigns. This was invented in 2011 and it is always organized in a quite number of countries across the globe. This makes so many people to be aware of the existence of the disease, their mode of transmission, their prevention and controlling mechanisms amongst so many things that are usually made public on this day. (need reference for the campaign)

Immunization and its importance against the disease also happens and through this many people tend to understand why especially the newborn kids should be immunized against the diseases; this makes them to be very receptive when the process is turned into a reality. However, there are some factors that makes the disease to shift its geography, for example urbanization and changes of environmental uses and land changes[footnoteRef:2]. The severe outbreak of Yellow fever has made the countries and states to be more vigilant and also looking for medicines and vaccines that can help in disease prevention. The development of Gavi-supported countries which experience yellow fever outbreak have received over 62 million doses which were reserved for emergency stockpiles. According to the research that was conducted, the vaccine is effective since it provides a life-long immunity of up to 99% (need reference) [2: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2020. "Yellow Fever". Cdc.Gov. https://www.cdc.gov/yellowfever/ ]

There has been a stockpile in response to the disease outbreak this is through some countries being in a position to access the vaccines. Other countries as well are helping third world countries to access the vaccines in case of an outbreak without having to pay for them. This is helpful in curbing the pandemic. There have been millions of the vaccines that are deployed globally so that there can be an inclusive light against the disease. This is through the international coordination groups[footnoteRef:3] [3: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2020. "Yellow Fever". Cdc.Gov. https://www.cdc.gov/yellowfever/ ]

The media plays a very important role in sensitizing people about the yellow fever disease. When an outbreak is announced in a given country the people are always very keen to follow the news. Through public media, they are able to learn more about the disease and the prevention procedure. Having some advertisements on the dangers of yellow fever in the media and the social media platforms is always very educative and people are always accessing information which they might not have accessed. Training of community health volunteers in some part of the world happens about the disease. These people are mandated to go to the ground and educate the community members as well as sensitizing them on the importance of immunization and this in the long run will help in avoidance, controlling and prevention of diseases.

Social Issues from Yellow Fever

There are so many issues that have arisen as a result of the outbreak of yellow fever disease. The very challenging effect of the disease is that it interferes with the psychological functioning of the body[footnoteRef:4]. This is for both the affected and the infected. There are a lot of problems that come along with the disease for instance death may happen and the people that are left are always psychologically disturbed. When a person or a family member is spending most of the time in the hospital, there is a high probability that there will be a job loss. Unemployment means that the basic needs will be unmet and one will be struggling so much, at some point the person may engage in other crimes as well as committing suicide. [4: Diniz, Lilian Martins Oliveira, Roberta Maia de Castro Romanelli, Aline Almeida Bentes, Nara Lúcia Carvalho da Silva, Flávia Ribeiro Soares Cruzeiro, Tânia Maria Marcial, and José Geraldo Leite Ribeiro. "Yellow fever in children and adolescents previously immunized in Minas Gerais State, Brazil." Vaccine (2020). ]

When there is a pandemic for example the outbreak of the yellow fever, the government will spend most of its income in treating the patients and buying medicines, this might make a state run into crisis and the economic status of the country may be unstable after the pandemic.

There are a number of factors that are causing yellow fever disease for example weather and climatic conditions this is because climate change plays a very important role in the occurrences and the incidences of yellow fever diseases. During warm conditions the type of interaction changes since most people tend to engage themselves in social activities like travelling and playing games together. The interactions may make people more likely to transmit the disease than ever before. Human factors such as the behavior as well as factors of social economic in most cases have a lot of impacts on the yellow fever contraction. The behavior and the attitude that one has towards a disease may make one vulnerable or resistance to diseases.

The ecosystem itself plays a very vital role in how the rate of the disease will spread. This is because the yellow fever literally can be spread through being bitten by a mosquito. There is a relationship between deforestation and how the mosquitoes are susceptible to people. Flooding and swampy areas might result in the right conditions for the breeding of the mosquitoes[footnoteRef:5]. When they have bred, they will bite as many people whom they come across with and this in the long run is a factor that may aid in the spreading of the disease. [5: Giovanetti, Marta, Marcos Cesar Lima de Mendonça, Vagner Fonseca, Maria Angélica Mares- Guia, Allison Fabri, Joilson Xavier, Jaqueline Goes de Jesus et al. "Yellow fever virus reemergence and spread in Southeast Brazil, 2016–2019." Journal of virology 94, no. 1 (2019). ]

Transmission of the yellow fever can be linked to some travelling at some levels. This is because some parts of the world are prone to mosquitoes while other places there are no mosquitoes. When one travels to places where there is a high number of mosquitoes and they happen to bite them the person who has travelled might contract the disease5.

Public Health Preparedness on Yellow Fever

Outbreak of yellow fever disease has made the public health emergency team to be very prepared in case an emergency arises. Although there is no specific medication for the yellow fever, there is always a very supportive early treatment systems that is done at the hospital level to make sure that the chances of survival for the patients are improved[footnoteRef:6]. The system is prepared with some specific drugs which help in curing very specific signs of yellow fever including drugs for treating dehydration, kidney, liver failures and fever. [6: Reno, Elaine, Nicolas G. Quan, Carlos Franco-Paredes, Daniel B. Chastain, Lakshmi Chauhan, Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales, and Andrés F. Henao-Martínez. "Prevention of yellow fever in travellers: an update." The Lancet Infectious Diseases (2020) ]

One way that the system is very prepared is the issue of having the yellow fever vaccines which is the most important means when it comes to prevention of yellow fever. Vaccination is done at different levels in the healthcare system, there is immunization for the infants and the young children, in case of an outbreak there is a mass vaccination for all the citizens. More so, Yellow Fever vaccination should be given to travelers who visit other countries and high-risk areas. During the pandemic, resources that are provided especially to the affected country/region is the availing of the stockpile medicine for the patients without a pay especially for the third world countries[footnoteRef:7]. [7: Yen, C., Hyde, T. B., Costa, A. J., Fernandez, K., Tam, J. S., Hugonnet, S., ... & Burkholder, B. T. (2015). (incomplete citation) ]

My perspective about understanding the social impacts of Yellow fever

Yellow fever comes along with so many social impacts. The social impacts not only affect the infected but also the affected. The psychological impacts affect the person who is sick and at the same time it has got negative impacts on the family members especially when their loved ones are spending a lot of time in the hospitals and incase a person passes away due to the disease[footnoteRef:8]. Unemployment and job losses happen when a pandemic strikes an economy. Some people will have to go home due to the economic crises; others are so that he can take care of the patient and others are a result of being hospitalized for so long. [8: Rudolph, K. E., Lessler, J., Moloney, R. M., Kmush, B., & Cummings, D. A. (2014). Incubation periods of mosquito-borne viral infections: a systematic review. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 90(5), 882-891, from (incomplete citation)]

Reference

Camargo, Carolina, Yasir H. Ahmed-Braimah, I. Alexandra Amaro, Laura C. Harrington, Mariana F. Wolfner, and Frank W. Avila. "Mating and blood-feeding induce transcriptome changes in the spermathecae of the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti." Scientific Reports 10, no. 1 (2020): 1-13.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2020. "Yellow Fever". Cdc.Gov. https://www.cdc.gov/yellowfever/

Diniz, Lilian Martins Oliveira, Roberta Maia de Castro Romanelli, Aline Almeida Bentes, Nara Lúcia Carvalho da Silva, Flávia Ribeiro Soares Cruzeiro, Tânia Maria Marcial, and José Geraldo Leite Ribeiro. "Yellow fever in children and adolescents previously immunized in Minas Gerais State, Brazil." Vaccine (2020).

Giovanetti, Marta, Marcos Cesar Lima de Mendonça, Vagner Fonseca, Maria Angélica Mares- Guia, Allison Fabri, Joilson Xavier, Jaqueline Goes de Jesus et al. "Yellow fever virus reemergence and spread in Southeast Brazil, 2016–2019." Journal of virology 94, no. 1 (2019).

Reno, Elaine, Nicolas G. Quan, Carlos Franco-Paredes, Daniel B. Chastain, Lakshmi Chauhan, Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales, and Andrés F. Henao-Martínez. "Prevention of yellow fever in travellers: an update." The Lancet Infectious Diseases (2020)

Rudolph, K. E., Lessler, J., Moloney, R. M., Kmush, B., & Cummings, D. A. (2014). Incubation periods of mosquito-borne viral infections: a systematic review. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 90(5), 882-891, from https://www.who.int/csr/disease/yellowfev/YFIbrochure.pdf?ua=1#:~:text=A%20TANGIBLE%20THREAT%20TO%20PUBLIC,re%2Demergence%20since%20the%201980's .

World Health Organization. 2020. "Yellow Fever". Who.Int.

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/yellow-fever

Yen, C., Hyde, T. B., Costa, A. J., Fernandez, K., Tam, J. S., Hugonnet, S., ... & Burkholder, B. T. (2015). The development of global vaccine stockpiles. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 15(3), 340-347, from https://www.who.int/csr/disease/yellowfev/YFIbrochure.pdf?ua=1#:~:text=A%20TANGIBLE%20THREAT%20TO%20PUBLIC,re%2Demergence%20since%20the%201980's .