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The Reemergence of Yellow Fever
Article

The Reemergence of Yellow Fever

Since 2016, yellow fever outbreaks have become a major public health concern

Science, 2018


Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Scientific
  • Overview

Recommendation

Asia experienced its first cases of yellow fever in 2016, when 11 workers carried the virus home with them from Angola. Those cases were contained, but this wasn’t the first time yellow fever has piggybacked on unsuspecting travelers, and it won’t be the last. Alan D. T. Barrett, Director of the WHO’s Collaborating Center for Vaccine Research, provides a brief look at the recent outbreaks and the advanced modeling techniques that might quell future epidemics. This Science magazine article will prove useful to health care workers and policymakers, and even people unfamiliar with virology.

Take-Aways

  • Yellow fever kills up to 50% of the people who contract it, though an effective vaccine exists.
  • Traditionally, vaccination strategies are the best way to control yellow fever, but new modeling tools may prove invaluable in future efforts.
  • The World Health Organization wants to eradicate the disease by 2026.

About the Author

Alan D. T. Barrett is a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. He is the director of the Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences.