Yellow fever is a deadly virus transmitted by mosquitoes that has been causing sporadic outbreaks in tropical regions of South America, Central America, and Africa for centuries. Recent reports from infectious disease specialists and the Yellow Fever Advisory Group suggest that the risk of a global epidemic is increasing with each passing decade.
A resurgence of yellow fever cases in Africa and the Americas has raised concerns about the potential spread of the virus to the Asia Pacific region. Experts warn that a pandemic of yellow fever in today’s world would pose a greater public health crisis than COVID-19 due to its higher lethality.
Historically, yellow fever was endemic to Africa before spreading to the Americas through the transatlantic slave trade. The development of an effective vaccine in the 1930s and the eradication of yellow fever mosquitoes in the Western Hemisphere helped control the spread of the virus. However, in recent years, there has been a resurgence of outbreaks in Africa and the Americas, attributed to factors such as poor vaccine coverage, population growth, lack of travel restrictions, and inadequate mosquito control.
Experts are particularly concerned about the Asia-Pacific region, where over two billion people live in areas infested by yellow fever mosquitoes. If a traveler infected with yellow fever returns to this region, local mosquitoes could contract the virus, leading to a potential spillover event.
To prevent further spread of yellow fever, researchers recommend expanding the global supply of vaccines, improving vaccine coverage, increasing surveillance of cases in endemic and non-endemic countries, and ensuring uninterrupted immunization services. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell has emphasized the importance of maintaining efforts to prevent vaccine-preventable diseases, especially in light of disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The perspective on the potential risks of a yellow fever epidemic was published in NPJ Viruses, highlighting the urgent need for global action to prevent the spread of this deadly virus.
