Case of Yellow Fever Virus in Jundiaí, Brazil

On Thursday, Dec 7th- Jundiaí reported its first case of suspected yellow fever. A 55 year-old man had been placed in the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital in Jundiaí since Nov 29th, and he is suspected to have yellow fever and leptospirosis. He was not vaccinated against yellow fever, but his family members believe they were (1).

Should he be diagnosed with yellow fever, it is highly likely that he contracted as a result of the forest near his neighborhood; the forest regularly has cycles of transmission. Furthermore, as a result of this case, and the hazard the nearby forest presents, the municipal government's Epidemiological Surveillance has been vaccinating individuals- going door to door. According to the municipal government, 92% of the population has been vaccinated against yellow fever.

More information on yellow fever:
Virus structure and morphology- +ssRNA, icosahedral, enveloped, nonsegmented (3).

Symptoms- 3-6 day incubation period; fever, chills, headache, back pain, body aches, nausea/vomiting, fatigue, weakness (4).

Transmission- ARBO virus (transmitted by mosquitoes)- mostly Aedes aegypti or Haemagogus (4).

Vaccine- Live attenuated virus vaccine. Recommended for everyone over 9 months of age who is travelling to high-risk areas in South America and Africa (4).

Treatment- No treatment for viral infection. Treatments aim at relieving symptoms: rest, pain medication, fluids (avoid aspirin and NSAIDs which can increase risk of bleeding) (4).

-EM

Sources:

1. http://www.jj.com.br/noticias-51698-jundia%C3%AD-tem-o-primeiro-caso-suspeito-de-febre-amarela-em-humanos
2. Helpful CDC vaccine suggestions for those traveling to Brazil: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/news-announcements/yellow-fever-vaccine-brazil
3. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780702039355000744
4. https://www.cdc.gov/yellowfever/index.html