Brazil: Human yellow fever cases reported in São Paulo and Minas Gerais in early 2025
São Paulo
The São Paulo State Health Department has confirmed the first case of yellow fever in a human this year. The case involves a 27-year-old man living in the state capital.
He was in Socorro, in the Campinas region, where there was also a recent report of a case of yellow fever in a monkey.
The state recorded two cases of the disease in humans in 2024 - one autochthonous (originating within the state) and the other from a man infected in Minas Gerais, who died
The Adolfo Lutz Institute has already confirmed nine cases of the disease in monkeys, seven in the Ribeirão Preto region, one in Pinhalzinho and the other in Socorro. Health surveillance and vaccination actions have been intensified in these regions, in addition to the recommendation of precautions for those traveling to forested areas.
Minas Gerais
The first case of yellow fever in Minas Gerais in 2025 was confirmed on Wednesday January 8. The victim is a resident of Camanducaia, 473 km from Belo Horizonte. The man owns a farm in the same region. He is hospitalized in São Paulo, where he is undergoing treatment for cancer.
The case is being monitored by the Minas Gerais State Health Department. In 2023, a death from yellow fever was confirmed in Monte Santo de Minas, 495 km from the capital of Minas Gerais. The patient was a man and was not vaccinated.
Last year, three cases of yellow fever were recorded in the south of Minas Gerais and one death was confirmed.
Medical history: 1918 influenza pandemic, Yellow fever in the US in the 18th and 19th centuries
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic fever. It is transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes. The disease is not contagious, that is, it is not passed from person to person.
Symptoms of yellow fever (fever, chills, headache, backache, and muscle aches) develop 3-6 days after infection. About 15% of people infected with yellow fever virus will develop severe illness that can lead to liver disease, bleeding, shock, organ failure, yellowing skin (jaundice), and sometimes death.
Vaccination is the best way to prevent the disease. The vaccine is available at health centers and is recommended for people aged nine months and older.