Serious adverse events associated with yellow fever vaccine

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Vaccinology
• Public Health

Background:

• Yellow fever vaccine is crucial for preventing a lethal disease.
• Rare severe adverse events, including invasive disease and meningoencephalitis, have been reported.
• The exact causes of these adverse events remain largely unknown, with a focus on individual host factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the safety profile of the yellow fever vaccine.
• To discuss the rare but serious adverse events associated with the vaccine.
• To highlight ongoing efforts in developing safer vaccine alternatives.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing studies on yellow fever vaccine safety.
• Analysis of reported cases of severe adverse events.
• Evaluation of research into novel vaccine technologies.

Main Results:

• The yellow fever vaccine is generally safe but can rarely cause invasive, disseminated disease with high mortality.
• Meningoencephalitis, previously seen only in infants, is now identified in older individuals with a better prognosis.
• Individual host factors are implicated as a primary cause of severe adverse events.

Conclusions:

• Despite rare adverse events, the yellow fever vaccine remains the most effective method for preventing yellow fever.
• Routine vaccination is recommended in endemic areas and for at-risk travelers.
• Development of safer yellow fever vaccines, such as inactivated or plant-based envelope vaccines, is in progress.