Yellow fever

Statutory notification

• Yellow fever is a notifiable infectious disease in Western Australia.
• Alert: cases must be reported urgently by telephone to the public health unit within a few hours of first suspicion of diagnosis.
• See notifiable communicable disease case definitions (Word 1.29MB).
• Notifications should be made using the communicable disease notification form for metropolitan residents (PDF 214KB) or regional residents (PDF 213KB).
• For notification of regional residents see contact details of public health units.
• See also description of Statutory medical notifications in Western Australia.

See the list of WA Health approved yellow fever vaccination providers (PDF 780KB).

Public health management

Important information

• Infectious agent: Yellow fever virus.
• Transmission: mosquito-borne.
• Incubation period: 3 to 6 days.
• Infectious period: No evidence of direct person to person transmission.
• Case exclusion: Do not exclude, but cases should avoid being bitten by mosquitos while symptomatic to reduce the chance of spreading the infection.
• Contact exclusion: Do not exclude.
• Treatment: No specific anti-viral treatment. Symptomatic treatment only.
• Immunisation: Yellow fever vaccination is available and recommended for people over 9 months of age who are travelling to countries where yellow fever is endemic.
• Case follow-up: is conducted by public health units and the Communicable Disease Control Directorate.

Guidelines

• Australian Immunisation Handbook, Department of Health – Yellow fever (external site)

Notifiable disease data and reports

• Notifiable infectious disease dashboard
• General infectious disease reports

More information

• Vaccine ordering