What should you know about yellow fever year?

There is no separate illness called a yellow fever year. The phrase may be used when someone is asking about yellow fever during a particular year, season, or planned trip. Yellow fever is spread by infected mosquitoes in some parts of Africa and South America; it is not spread through ordinary casual contact.

Illness can begin with fever, headache, muscle aches, nausea, or tiredness. Some people can become much more unwell, with yellowing of the skin or eyes, bleeding, severe abdominal pain, or marked weakness. These serious features need urgent assessment.

Check the health requirements and disease risks for every destination and transit stop well before departure. A travel-health clinician can advise whether Yellow Fever Vaccination is appropriate and document it when required for travel.

Use practical bite prevention throughout the trip: wear covering clothing where practical, use an appropriate insect repellent, and keep accommodation screened or air-conditioned when available. If fever develops during travel or after returning, tell the clinician where and when you travelled.

Seek urgent medical care for fever after travel to an area where yellow fever occurs, especially with confusion, repeated vomiting, severe weakness, bleeding, severe stomach pain, or yellow eyes or skin. Tell the care team about recent travel and mosquito exposure.

A child, a pregnant person, an older adult, or someone with an immune-system condition should seek personalised travel advice before travel, because vaccine decisions and illness assessment may need extra care.

Ask which destinations on your itinerary have yellow fever risk, whether vaccination is suitable for you, and what proof of vaccination you may need. If you are unwell after travel, ask which tests are appropriate and which symptoms should prompt emergency care.