Who Discovered Yellow Fever

Yellow fever does not just span throughout the countries it is currently prevalent within. It is thought to have ravaged Europe in as early as 541, after the downfall of the Roman Empire, under the name of “Yellow Plague”. It has since occurred in Cuba, Spain, Haiti, Virginia, Tennessee and a variety of other places.

We are not quite sure who discovered Yellow fever as the time span for the disease predates accurate medical records and spans over various countries. We do know Carlos Finlay from Cuba first issued proof that the disease was carried by mosquitoes and not human contact in 1881. Walter Reed then later confirmed this theory.

There was an epidemic in 664 medieval Britain that coincided with the eclipse of the sun. The term Yellow plague was later coined by historical writers who assumed the terminology however, it is widely disputed whether or not this was actually the Yellow Fever, as it has been suggested it was actually small pox.

Before the arrival of European travellers in Yellow Fever regions, this disease was not considered a problem as the indigenous people had developed a natural immunity to the disease. It was finally bought under control upon the discovery that mosquitoes carried the virus, and later a man called Max Theiler developed the vaccine. He was awarded the 1951 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his discovery.