Medical News A recent study published in the journal npj Viruses proposed that global trends, including unprecedented urbanization, increased international travel, and the expansion of mosquito habitats, increase the odds of the geographic spread of the yellow fever (YF) virus (YFV).
YF, caused by YFV, is an acute viral illness in humans and several nonhuman primates. Unlike other mosquito-borne diseases, humans infected with YFV exhibit heightened viremia and are efficient amplifying hosts, allowing for inter-human transmission by mosquitoes. This makes YFV particularly capable of sparking urban epidemics, as infected people can efficiently infect mosquitoes that bite them. The YF mosquito (Aedes aegypti) is the primary urban vector, being anthropophilic and adapted to the human environment.