Yellow Fever

Question 1

What is an acute crowd infection?

Answer 1

transmitted from people to people - directly transmitted
no vectors, reservoirs

Question 2

what were the 4 main powers in the 17th & 18th century?

Answer 2

Britain
France
Spain
Netherlands

Question 3

What is yellow fever?

Answer 3

flavivirus - native to Africa
it’s a stable virus that doesn’t evolve much, 3000 years old
primary host is mosquitos

Question 4

Symptoms

Answer 4

high fever, muscle pains, headache, nausea, headache
liver breaks down
internal bleeding from nose and ears followed by blood vomit
death due to organ failures
targeted the young and healthy

Question 5

what is the pathogen that caused yellow fever?

Answer 5

Aedes Aegypti
-comes from the female mosquito that arrived from Africa on water barrels in slave ships
- sensitive to cold weather, likes warmer environments
-

Question 6

Necessary conditions to spread

Answer 6

dense population of people as well as dense population of mosquitos

Question 7

Yellow fever epidemic

Answer 7

1647-1652
began in Barbados, killing 6000 people
20-50% mortality rate
reappeared in the 1690’s

Question 8

Sugar plantations

Answer 8

spread yellow fever
landowners brought slaves from Africa, the disease came with it
perfect living environment: lots of people, warm climates
mosquitos lay their eggs in the excess clay sugar pots and fed on the sugar and water

Question 9

What happened in Havana?

Answer 9

biggest port city, many ships came in, bringing slaves and the disease
people who grew up in the yellow fever zones were immune to the disease because of prior exposure.

Question 9

Herd immunity

Answer 9

the disease can’t spread among a large group of immune people
60% immune populaiton = epidemic
80% immune population = no epidemic

Question 10

yellow fever & Europeans
Haitian revolution

Answer 10

European military personnel did not want to come to the Americas, of fear of the disease, took lashings and resigned
slaves made up 90% of the population, started to revolt, so European solders came over and many died of the disease.
sucessfull revolution, acheived freedom and independence.

Question 11

Yellow fever and race

Answer 11

Disease was thought to be connected biologically to race
African slaves were immune, so they were put to work in the sugar fields
Exposure as a child granted you immunity