We’ve come a long way from the days of masks and lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, though the losses endured by millions of families may still be recent.
Even though calm has returned to the streets and homes of the world, a new study published in the journal NPJ Viruses warns of a dangerous increase in yellow fever cases, and that this could be a serious problem.
According to PAHO and WHO, there are increasing cases of yellow fever in different countries due, in theory, to population growth and increased tourism. It is a disease that can be contracted through mosquito bites, and its spread could trigger a global health crisis worse than that of the coronavirus. The scientists leading this research have warned about the risks posed by this infection.
“A yellow fever pandemic in today’s world would cause a devastating public health crisis that, due to its far greater lethality, would make the COVID-19 pandemic pale in comparison,” the study’s authors note, making a truly frightening claim given that COVID-19 has killed more than seven million people to date.
“Unlike other mosquito-borne diseases, humans infected with yellow fever virus exhibit high viremia and efficiently amplify hosts, allowing for mosquito-mediated human-to-human transmission,” they add.
Yellow fever, or black vomit, is an acute, infectious viral disease. Its symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle aches, and headache. Although most cases improve, in about 15% of cases, the fever returns after a day of improvement, abdominal pain occurs, and liver damage begins, causing jaundice.
The disease is caused by the yellow fever virus, whose main vector in cities is the Aedes aegypti mosquito, found in the tropics and subtropics.
It is a particularly dangerous infection in humans and primates, which is why health authorities are truly alarmed by the situation, although no official figures have been shared. Clearly, the main prevention is vaccination or refraining from visiting countries where the disease can be contracted.