Yellow fever lids of water tanks can be sprayed with insecticides, but application inside houses is not recommended by the WHO. Insecticide-treated mosquito nets are effective, just as they are against the "Anopheles" mosquito that carries malaria. As for other flavivirus infections, no cure is known for yellow fever. Hospitalization is advisable and intensive care may be necessary because of rapid deterioration in some cases. Different methods for acute treatment of the disease have been shown not to be very successful; passive immunization after the emergence of symptoms is probably without effect. Ribavirin and other antiviral drugs, as well as treatment with
Yellow fever interferons, do not have a positive effect in patients. Asymptomatic treatment includes rehydration and pain relief with drugs such as paracetamol. Acetylsalicylic acid should not be given because of its anticoagulant effect, which can be devastating in the case of internal bleeding that can occur with yellow fever. Yellow fever is common in tropical and subtropical areas of South America and Africa. Worldwide, about 600 million people live in endemic areas. The WHO estimates 200,000 cases of disease and 30,000 deaths a year occur; the number of officially reported cases is far lower. An estimated 90% of the infections occur