Yellow fever is a disease that has a storied past, one that’s intertwined with the mosquito. The Aedes aegypti mosquito is usually associated with the spread of yellow fever, but the Haemagogus mosquito can also be a vector of the disease. Yellow fever transmission is higher in tropical and subtropical areas, such as Africa and South America. Symptoms for humans can include fever, chills, headaches, backache, weakness, nausea, and vomiting. Some people could develop more severe symptoms. However, many people infected with yellow fever will experience no symptoms at all.

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While both chickenpox and shingles come from the same varicella zoster virus, they are two very different illnesses. One tends to affect children more, while shingles affects older adults.

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When most people hear that a disease is eradicated or eliminated, they often think these two terms mean the same thing. While both terms do have a similar meaning, those who work in public health know that there is a difference in meaning.

So, what is the difference between eradication and elimination? And when is a disease considered one of the two terms?

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The Civil War lasted from 1861-1865, and while artillery and combat, hunger and more certainly held a firm grasp on mortality within the war, there was one army, dubbed “The Third Army” by historian Jeffrey S. Sartin. It was the army of infectious diseases that by far killed the most soldiers, families, emancipated slaves, children, and more – over a million people were stuck in the middle of these disease hot-spots during the war.

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It was announced earlier this year that the FDA authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11. While many parents are ushering their children to their local pediatricians, pharmacies and clinics to receive the vaccine, other parents still remain on the fence about giving the vaccine to their children. This could be due to a number of reasons, medical issues, beliefs, and more.

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