Fever

Oh, I forgot to add, yesterday. When I was on the trip, I finished Harry Potter pretty quick, so on the trip back, I was Harry Potter-less! So, I began reading a book called Fever 1793, by Laurie Halse Anderson (Author of Speak). Truthfully, the only reason I picked up Fever, was because of the cover-book picture... it looked so creepy, that I needed to check it out. (You can see the picture if you click on the link in "Fever 1793"). I learned it's about the yellow fever in '93, that killed off thousands of people. Me, having been interested in the Black Plague that happened so many years ago, thought this would be a fascinating book to get.

It was! It was a really amazing book. Being this one of the first books I read that wasn't by Janet Evanovich, who favors comedy, it was really hard for me to deal with the death of one of my favorite characters. I recommend it to everyone.

It also perked up my interest in the Yellow Fever that took place way back when. It was said that if you had it, you would be an outcast to everyone. You would be thrown out of the house by your own family, out of fear that they would catch it as well. You wouldn't be allowed into other cities. People treated you like you were a stray dog. Few wanted to be near you at all. The disease would most likely kill you within a few days of catching it. Few lived. I'm only reading the case that had happened in Jamestown, though... Yellow Fever is known to still be around.

"In the US: The last epidemic of yellow fever in North America occurred in New Orleans in 1905 during which more than 3000 cases were met with 452 deaths."

"Internationally: Yellow fever transmission predominately occurs in areas of sub-Saharan Africa and South America 15° north and 10° south of the equator. It has never been documented in Asia. Yellow fever epidemics were dominant in Africa from 1986-1991, with close to 20,000 cases and 6000 deaths. This is considered to be grossly underestimated because of underreporting. These epidemics commonly include 30-1000 cases and have fatality ratios of 20-50%. In areas of West Africa, 200,000 endemic cases may occur annually. In South America, an annual mean of 100 cases has been reported for the last 25 years. These cases predominate from January to March among males aged 15- 45 years who work outdoors in agriculture and forestry. The last outbreak in the western hemisphere occurred in 1954 in Trinidad. Yellow fever's range continues to expand, now including areas in which it previously was believed to be eradicated (eg, eastern and southern African countries)."

Can you imagine living in one of those areas...? It's scary for me to think about.

"Mortality/Morbidity: Yellow fever ranges in severity from a self-limited infection to hemorrhagic fever that carries a 50% mortality rate. Fatality rates are higher in the young. Early appearance of jaundice (day 3) indicates a poor prognosis. Transaminase elevations reflect the degree of hepatic injury and are prognostic. Individuals who survive the toxic phase may experience renal failure. Convalescence with symptoms of weakness and fatigue may last up to 3 months."

"Pathophysiology: The pathophysiology of yellow fever infection was largely inferred from vaccine studies in rhesus monkeys using the attenuated 17D vaccine. After inoculation in rhesus monkeys, the virus replicated initially in local lymph nodes, followed by blood-borne spread and subsequent replication mostly occurring in regional lymph tissue, spleen, and bone marrow followed by the liver, lung, and adrenal glands.

The liver and kidneys demonstrate the greatest degree of pathologic changes. Hemorrhage and erosion of the gastric mucosa lead to hematemesis popularly known as "black vomit." Hepatocellular damage is characterized by lobular necrosis with the subsequent formation of Councilman bodies. Albuminuria and renal insufficiency evolve secondary to the prerenal component of yellow fever, ultimately leading to acute tubular necrosis with advanced disease. Fatty infiltration of the myocardium, including the conduction system, can lead to myocarditis and arrhythmias."

Again, it scares me to think about. As I read in Fever, it said that if you threw up this black blood, that was the sign of Yellow Fever, and you were shunned by the community. You were to tie yellow flags around your door, indicating you had a Yellow Fever patient inside. Doctors rarely felt they wanted to treat those with Yellow Fever, out of fear they may catch it themselves. Most still continued their jobs, if they hadn't already fleed the infested town.

I'm currently unsure as to when the date of the first Yellow Fever took place. In Fever 1793, it says that it happened fifty years ago, which would place it around 1740's. In a Yellow Fever article, I just read, it says "Yellow fever was first recognized in an outbreak occurring in the New World in 1648." But if that was the truth, it would make the book off by a hundred years. Seeing as this book has been published everywhere with the number "1793,"and the article only said it happened in 1648 once, I'm assuming the book is right. But then the author could have changed it a bit to better fit her book. I'm not sure which to trust, so you'll have to do a little history lesson yourself if you want to find out for sure.

Wow. Who would have thought fatal diseases would interest me so much? Oh well. Time to read up on Malaria!