Yellow Fever, an Arboviral Disease with Public Health Impacts: General Aspects and the Use of the One Health Approach in the Context of This Zoonosis.

Abstract

Yellow fever is a long-standing zoonotic arboviral disease that affects hundreds of thousands of people annually in different regions of the world, even though the vaccine has been available since the 1930s. Thus, studies that synthesize general and current information on yellow fever are relevant, aiming to disseminate knowledge that can contribute to mitigating its impacts. This narrative review synthesizes the general aspects of yellow fever, discusses its impacts on public health, and presents information on the use of the One Health approach in the context of this zoonosis. The databases used to select the articles were PubMed, Scopus, LILACS, and SciELO, using various descriptors related to the study's theme and objectives. It is important to highlight that yellow fever remains a significant public health challenge due to its high mortality rate in severe cases and the continued circulation of the yellow fever virus in tropical areas, especially in South America and Africa. Although many patients recover spontaneously, recurrent outbreaks continue in endemic regions. The initial clinical similarity to other zoonoses makes timely diagnosis difficult, and management remains restricted to clinical support, as there is no specific antiviral treatment. Vaccination and epidemiological surveillance stand out as the main preventive measures. Additionally, considering that the management of yellow fever involves human, animal, and environmental health aspects, the One Health approach stands out as a modern, robust, and effective alternative for addressing this zoonosis. However, the lack of knowledge regarding this approach among public managers and health professionals results in its non-use and, consequently, impacts the fight against yellow fever. Therefore, it is important to widely disseminate knowledge about the One Health approach, aiming at carrying out holistic actions in the human-animal-environmental interface sectors in the context of yellow fever, allowing for coordinated and sustainable responses at different levels and instances.