People travelling abroad have been warned about a virus found in nine countries (Image: Getty)
UK travellers have been issued a warning as cases of a potentially fatal virus have been confirmed in nine countries. Figures show that since the beginning of 2026, a total of 95 confirmed cases of yellow fever have been reported around the world.
Yellow fever is a serious infection spread by mosquitoes that can prove fatal in some cases. It’s typically found in certain areas of Africa and South and Central America.
For this reason, it can be recommended that you get a yellow fever vaccination before travelling to certain areas.
An update from Travel Health Pro explained that this year so far cases of yellow fever have been confirmed in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, and Cameroon.
Suspected cases have also been reported from five countries: Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, and Nigeria. This comes after 2025 saw a 5.6-fold increase in yellow fever cases compared to 2024.
Yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes (Image: Getty)
Regarding the Americas, Travel Health Pro said: “Yellow Fever (YF) is a risk in areas of 13 countries and territories in South and Central America. In 2025, a high number of cases were reported from the region, with 346 confirmed human cases (including 143 deaths) from seven countries.
“This represents a 5.6-fold increase in cases compared to 2024. Since the beginning of 2026, a total of 79 confirmed cases have been reported from six countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.”
Reporting on Africa, it said: “YF remains a risk in 29 countries in Africa, and the region accounts for the majority of the worldwide estimated YF disease burden. Many countries in the region continue to report probable and confirmed cases.
“Since 2023, eight countries with no recent history of YF activity have detected new cases, indicating circulation of the virus in areas with low vaccination coverage. In 2025, outbreaks were reported in Angola and Central African Republic. Since the beginning of 2026, 16 confirmed cases have been reported from three countries: Burkina Faso, Central African Republic and Cameroon. Suspected cases have also been reported from five countries: Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana and Nigeria.”
Advice for travellers
Before you travel, you should check the TravelHealthPro Country Information pages here for your destination to find out:
- Whether there is a risk of YF
- Whether YF vaccine is recommended
- Whether you need a YF vaccination certificate to enter the country
- Advice on general health risks, prevention advice, other vaccine recommendations, and malaria advice is also available on these pages
Comprehensive travel insurance is also recommended for all travellers.
Symptoms
According to the NHS, yellow fever symptoms usually start three to six days after being bitten by an infected mosquito, but sometimes they can take longer to appear.
Some yellow fever symptoms are similar to flu, such as:
- High temperature
- Headache
- Feeling or being sick
- Aches and pains
- Loss of appetite
- Feeling generally unwell
These symptoms often last three or four days. But a small number of people get more serious symptoms within 24 hours of feeling better.
More serious symptoms include:
- Yellowing of your skin and eyes (jaundice)
- Dark pee
- Stomach pain
- Bleeding from your eyes, nose, mouth or stomach – you may have blood in your vomit or poo
The NHS says: “These more serious symptoms can be fatal.” You should ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if you feel unwell after travelling to a country where yellow fever is found.
