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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

yellow fever

Researchers later used the archival record of yellow fever outbreaks, paired with genome analyses of modern mosquitoes, to piece together the insect’s travels.

From Slate ● Aug. 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

Professor Daniel Watterson noted that the new findings offer important insights into the biology of yellow fever and could guide the development of improved vaccines and antiviral tools for this virus and other orthoflaviviruses.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 27, 2025

Researchers say this is the first comprehensive study to assess the impact of emergency vaccination programmes in response to the outbreak of five infectious diseases – Ebola, measles, cholera, yellow fever and meningitis.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2025

In 1848 Dr. Josiah Nott in Alabama noticed that yellow fever receded after swamps were drained off to kill mosquito infestations.

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

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