yellow fever

American  

noun

Pathology.

1. an acute, often fatal, infectious febrile disease of warm climates, caused by an RNA virus transmitted by a mosquito, especially Aedes aegypti, and characterized by liver damage and jaundice.

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yellow fever British  

noun

1. Also called: yellow jack.   black vomit.  an acute infectious disease of tropical and subtropical climates, characterized by fever, haemorrhages, vomiting of blood, and jaundice: caused by a virus transmitted by the bite of a female mosquito of the species Aedes aegypti

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yellow fever Scientific  

/ yĕl′ō /

1. A life-threatening infectious disease caused by a virus of the genus Flavivirus and characterized by fever, jaundice, and internal bleeding. Yellow fever occurs mainly in tropical regions of Africa and Latin America and is transmitted by mosquitoes.

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Etymology

Origin of yellow fever

First recorded in 1730–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

yellow fever

Not only do they drive residents nuts with itchy bites, but they can carry a number of potentially serious diseases, including dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026

As it happened, Fordlandia was beset by smallpox and yellow fever, rubber-destroying fungi, and labor unrest that required military intervention.

From Barron's ● Jan. 18, 2026

Originally hailing from Africa, the species can transmit dengue, as well as yellow fever, Zika and chikungunya.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2025

That genetic method has already shown promise to control Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which vector diseases like West Nile virus, Dengue, yellow fever and Zika to humans.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 27, 2024

Some even suggested that he might have seen yellow fever when it wasn’t really present in order to support his theory.

From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy