Yellow fever

At a glance

Vaccine preventable – check who’s eligible
Nationally notifiable disease

About yellow fever

Yellow fever is a disease caused by a mosquito-borne virus. It is vaccine preventable.

It spreads to people through the bites of infected mosquitoes.

Yellow fever is often mild. But it can be very serious and cause death.

The World Health Organization (WHO) closely monitors reports of yellow fever infection.

Why it matters to public health

Yellow fever is a major global public health concern. It is usually found in tropical areas of:

Africa
the Caribbean
Central and South America.

Most people with yellow fever develop no or mild symptoms. But about 1 in 4 people develop serious symptoms and up to half of these people die.

Because of how serious yellow fever can be, it is a listed human disease. This means the Australian Government can use special powers to stop it from entering the country and respond quickly if it’s detected.

The yellow fever virus has not been found in Australia. But the type of mosquito that can spread it is present, especially in parts of Queensland. This means a local outbreak is possible if a traveller with yellow fever arrives in Australia.

Because of these major impacts, we:

work alongside colleagues in the animal and environmental sectors to promote a One Health coordinated approach to monitoring yellow fever
plan for how to manage outbreaks.

Symptoms

If you’re looking for advice about your own health or treatment options, see healthdirect or speak with a qualified healthcare professional. Our role is to provide public health advice – information and guidance that helps prevent disease, protect communities and improve wellbeing at a population level.

Early symptoms of yellow fever include:

Most people recover after 2 to 6 days.

Some people develop more severe symptoms and complications including:

high fever
abdominal pain and vomiting
jaundice (yellowing of the skin)
haemorrhage (excessive bleeding)
shock
organ failure.

healthdirect’s symptom checker can help you decide whether to see a health professional. If you get symptoms of yellow fever and have recently travelled overseas to an area that has the disease, contact a healthcare professional immediately.

Check your symptoms

Onset of symptoms

Symptoms usually start between 3 and 6 days after getting infected.

How it spreads

Yellow fever spreads through bites of infected mosquitoes after they have fed on an infected person or monkey.

Yellow fever does not transmit directly between people.

Infectious period

People with yellow fever can spread the virus to mosquitoes from just before their fever starts for about 3 to 5 days.

Prevention

The best way to protect against yellow fever is to prevent mosquito bites.

People travelling to or from an area with yellow fever should get vaccinated.

Vaccination

Only approved clinics can give yellow fever vaccinations.

Yellow fever vaccination is recommended for:

people aged 9 months or older travelling to an area with yellow fever
people who work in laboratories with the yellow fever virus.

Clinics can provide vaccination certificates in the form required by the WHO. Many countries need the certificate as proof of vaccination before a person can enter the country.

Other prevention steps

When entering Australia, travellers must declare if they have visited a yellow fever risk country or area in the last 6 days.

Priority groups and settings

People at greater risk of severe disease

Yellow fever poses a greater risk of severe illness for:

people aged 60 years or older
people who are immunocompromised
pregnant people
infants aged under 9 months (who are too young to be vaccinated).

People at greater risk of exposure

People are at greater risk of being exposed to yellow fever if they:

travel to areas with yellow fever – including tropical parts of Africa, the Caribbean, and Central and South America
work in laboratories with the yellow fever virus.

Diagnosis and treatment

Yellow fever is diagnosed through a blood test.

You can use healthdirect’s directory to find a health service near you.

Find a health service

There is no specific treatment for yellow fever. People with serious disease will need to be cared for in hospital.

Read more about how to manage or treat yellow fever.

Surveillance and reporting

Yellow fever is a nationally notifiable disease – these are diseases that present a risk to public health.

The WHO reports on global yellow fever case numbers through its data portal.

Outbreaks

Australia has strong systems to prevent and respond to yellow fever.

Travellers who develop yellow fever symptoms within 6 days of entering Australia should see a doctor.

A person with yellow fever in Australia will be managed according to state and territory guidelines. Control measures might include:

confirming the person’s travel history and vaccination status
contacting other people who travelled with the person
isolating the person and protecting them from mosquitoes.

Support

For information about yellow fever in your state or territory, see:

If you need mental health support, see a list of organisations, websites and services that offer support, counselling and information.

For travel advice, see Smartraveller.