Yellow Fever has returned in Brazil. The outbreak began last year, in which, 59 cases of the dangerous disease was reported. This year there have been 3 reported cases. Opposed to popular assumption, few of the cases of yellow Fever in Brazil were found in the Amazon region. Most were centered around Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The viral disease is spread through mosquitoes and therefore is more perilous in towns that have high populations of people and mosquitoes.
“Yellow Fever was conquered even before there was a vaccine for it,” said Elisabeth Santos, the director of the Instituto Evandro Chagas. In 1937, Max Theiler formulated a exceedingly effective vaccine that would protect individuals against Yellow Fever for ten years. Brazil had not had a Yellow Fever outbreak in decades. Because the disease had been rid from the country for so long, many people overlooked the significance of the Yellow fever vaccination resulting in numerous cases of the viral disease.
The disease has always and will always reside in the Amazon rainforest. There is no absolute cure for Yellow Fever. The treatment is based on symptoms and only supports you until the disease has passed. If the population gets vaccinated, they will be fine. There really is no reason not to get vaccinated. The country of Brazil makes the shots available free of charge and there is no shortage of the vaccine.
When asked why travelers are not required to get the Yellow Fever vaccination before they enter Brazil, Santos replied, “I don’t know!” Currently, it is only being a recommended vaccination for travelers. The disease is so potent and vicious, it seems a fool’s errand to visit a country experiencing an outbreak of it without the vaccination.
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