When Was Yellow Fever Discovered?
The earliest cases of yellow fever predate our medical records therefore it is not possible to ascertain by whom it was discovered and when it was discovered. However, the available historical records tell us that the disease was recorded for the first time in 1881 by Carlos Finlay, a Spaniard, who came up with a proof, after completing his journey to Cuba, that the disease is carried by mosquitoes.
Yellow fever is a disease caused by the virus of the Flaviviridae family. The disease ranges from sub-clinical infection to overwhelming pan-systemic disease. There are two forms of yellow fever: urban and jungle. They are distinguished by the way they spread. The disease is transmitted by female mosquitoes and it occurs only in Africa and South America. The World Health Organization’s estimates show around 200,000 cases of the occurrence of the disease each year. The fatality rate of serious cases of yellow fever stands at 20% worldwide.
People living in the pandemic areas develop natural immunity over the course of centuries and this has been the case with the indigenous African and South American people. The Europeans, however, exploring the area didn’t have this natural protection. To save themselves they studied had to study the virus. Later, Max Theiler, a White South African virologist, developed a vaccine against the disease. He was also awarded the Nobel Prize for his discovery in 1951.
