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Yellow Fever
Prevention from Yellow Fever
Yellow Fever Prevention
Health experts all around the world advise people to prevent Yellow Fever, by getting immunized against it. The best way of getting yourself immunized against it is by inoculating yourself with the Yellow Fever vaccination. This is all the more important if you are traveling to a region where the infection is prevalent.
The Yellow Fever vaccination is administered through a single injection and one dose can protect you for around 10 years or so. After getting injected, you may experience a few mild side effects for around a week, some of which include:
- Soreness at the injection site
- Low-grade fever
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Muscle pain
There have been a few reported cases of severe reactions to the vaccination too. This vaccine is usually considered the safest for people between the ages of 10 months and 60 years. Children who are below 9 months can only be given the Yellow Fever vaccine after getting an approval from a doctor.
Apart from taking the vaccine, you can also prevent Yellow Fever by staying away from mosquitoes. Given below are a few tips to reduce your exposure to mosquitoes:
- Avoid any outdoor activity in places where mosquitoes are active
- In case you have to venture into an area that has a high population of mosquitoes, make sure that you wear long pants and full-sleeved shirts
- When indoors, keep your environment mosquito-free with the help of a screen or a net
- Stay in an air-conditioned environment as far as possible
You could also try mosquito repellents to prevent yellow fever. Some repellents need to be applied directly on to the skin, whereas certain non-skin repellents can be applied to clothes, shoes or bed-netting. Natural products like oil of lemon eucalyptus can also be effective in warding off the mosquitoes. However, most of these products should not be used on children and infants, without prior approval from a doctor.
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