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Max Theiler

Max Theiler (1899–1972) was a South African-born American virologist and physician best known for his pioneering development of the 17D live-attenuated vaccine against yellow fever, a breakthrough that earned him the sole Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded for a virus vaccine.^[1]^[2] Born on January 30, 1899, in Pretoria, South Africa, to Sir Arnold Theiler, a prominent veterinary bacteriologist, and Emma Theiler (née Jegge), Max was one of four children and grew up in an environment steeped in scientific inquiry.^[3] He received his early education in local South African schools and spent one year in Basel, Switzerland, before attending Rhodes University College in Grahamstown and the University of Cape Town Medical School from 1916 to 1918.^[3] Completing his medical training in England at St. Thomas' Hospital and the London School of Tropical Medicine, he earned his medical degree, Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians, and membership in the Royal College of Surgeons in 1922.^[3] Theiler's career began at Harvard Medical School's Department of Tropical Medicine in 1922 as an assistant, where he advanced to instructor while conducting early research on viruses, including proving in 1927 that yellow fever is caused by a filterable virus rather than a bacterium.^[3] In 1930, he joined the Rockefeller Foundation's International Health Division in New York, initially focusing on virology; there, he innovated by propagating the yellow fever virus in mouse brains, which facilitated safer experimentation and attenuation studies.^[3]^[2] By 1937, after serial passages of the Asibi strain through chick embryo tissue cultures (from the 89th to 114th passage), he created the 17D strain—a highly attenuated, immunogenic virus free of viscerotropic and neurotropic effects—that formed the basis of the first effective yellow fever vaccine.^[2] Field trials began in Brazil in 1938 under Rockefeller auspices, and the vaccine's success led to over 500 million doses administered worldwide, dramatically reducing urban yellow fever incidence.^[2]^[4] Throughout his tenure at the Rockefeller Foundation, where he rose to Director of Laboratories in the Division of Medicine and Public Health by 1951, Theiler expanded his research to other infectious diseases, including amoebic dysentery, rat-bite fever, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, poliomyelitis, and Theiler's disease (a viral hepatitis in horses).^[3]^[5] He contributed significantly to scientific literature, co-authoring chapters in Viral and Rickettsial Infections of Man (1948) and editing Yellow Fever (1951).^[3] His accolades included the Chalmers Medal in 1939, the Flattery Medal in 1945, and the Lasker Award in 1949, preceding his Nobel recognition "for his discoveries concerning yellow fever and how to combat it."^[3]^[1] In 1964, Theiler joined Yale University as a professor of epidemiology and microbiology, retiring in 1967 but remaining affiliated with the Rockefeller Foundation until his death.^[6] He married Lillian B. Graham in 1928, and they had one daughter.^[3] Theiler died of heart failure on August 11, 1972, in New Haven, Connecticut, leaving a legacy as the first African-born Nobel laureate in medicine whose work continues to protect millions from yellow fever.^[1]^[6]

Early Life and Education

Family Background and Childhood

Max Theiler was born on January 30, 1899, in Pretoria, South Africa, as the youngest of four children to Sir Arnold Theiler, a prominent veterinary bacteriologist and founder of the Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Institute, and Emma Sophie Theiler (née Jegge).^[3]^[7] The family environment was deeply immersed in scientific pursuits, with Sir Arnold's pioneering work in veterinary pathology—focusing on animal diseases prevalent in South Africa—creating an atmosphere where discussions on microbiology and epidemiology were commonplace.^[3]^[8] This exposure indirectly shaped Theiler's early fascination with science, steering him toward a career in medicine and virology, as his father's dedication to combating infectious diseases in livestock highlighted the practical impact of research.^[3]^[9] Theiler received his early education at local schools in Pretoria, interspersed with one year of schooling in Basel, Switzerland, reflecting his father's Swiss heritage.^[3]^[9] These formative years fostered a strong foundation in scientific inquiry, culminating in his transition to formal medical studies at the University of Cape Town.^[3]

Medical Training and Early Influences

Theiler commenced his formal medical education in South Africa, beginning with pre-medical studies at Rhodes University College in Grahamstown.^[10] At the age of 17, he completed this foundational coursework there before advancing to clinical training.^[6] In 1916, he enrolled at the University of Cape Town Medical School, where he pursued his medical degree amid the ongoing World War I, though his studies proceeded without recorded interruption by military service.^[3] He remained at Cape Town until 1918, gaining initial exposure to medical sciences during a period marked by global health challenges, including the 1918 influenza pandemic that ravaged South Africa.^[6] Following the armistice in 1919, Theiler traveled to England for postgraduate training, entering St Thomas's Hospital Medical School to further his clinical expertise.^[3] Concurrently, he studied at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, an institution renowned for its focus on infectious diseases and public health.^[11] This period immersed him in bacteriology and tropical medicine, fields that resonated with his upbringing; his father, Sir Arnold Theiler, was a pioneering veterinary bacteriologist who directed South Africa's government veterinary services and conducted seminal research on animal pathogens.^[3]^[6] The elder Theiler's legacy in combating bacterial diseases in livestock likely shaped Max's early scientific inclinations toward microbiology and epidemiology.^[12] In 1922, Theiler qualified with the Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians (LRCP) and Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS), and received a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (DTM&H) from the University of London, credentials that licensed him to practice in the United Kingdom.^[3]^[2] These achievements, coupled with his training in tropical pathogens, directed his emerging interests toward virology and vaccine development, prompting his relocation to the United States later in 1922 to pursue research opportunities.^[2]

Professional Career

Initial Research Roles in the United States

Upon arriving in the United States in 1922, shortly after completing his medical degree in London, Max Theiler joined the Department of Tropical Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, initially as an assistant under the bacteriologist Andrew Watson Sellards.^[3]^[2] His early work there focused on tropical diseases, including amebic dysentery, before shifting to yellow fever research amid ongoing debates about its etiology.^[13] Theiler conducted immunological studies comparing yellow fever strains from West Africa and South America, helping to solidify evidence of the disease's viral nature by disproving earlier hypotheses attributing it to bacterial contaminants like spirochetes.^[2] A major challenge in yellow fever research at the time was the high cost and logistical difficulties of using rhesus monkeys, which had been identified as susceptible hosts in 1928 but remained expensive for routine experimentation.^[14] To address limited funding and resource constraints, Theiler began adapting the virus to alternative models. In searching for a less expensive experimental animal, Theiler found in late 1928 or early 1929 that the common white mouse was susceptible to the French strain of yellow fever virus when inoculated intracerebrally, leading to a neurotropic adaptation after serial passages.^[14] This finding, later detailed in his 1930 publication, induced encephalomyelitis in mice without visceral involvement, providing a cheaper, more accessible experimental system that reduced reliance on primates. Skepticism persisted regarding the virus's purity, with contamination concerns complicating efforts to confirm its non-bacterial character, yet Theiler's mouse model advanced proof-of-concept studies.^[2] By 1928, Theiler had progressed to the rank of instructor at Harvard, but the institution's constraints prompted his transition in 1930 to the Rockefeller Foundation's International Health Division in New York, where expanded resources supported further virological investigations.^[3]

Leadership at the Rockefeller Foundation

In 1930, Max Theiler joined the staff of the International Health Division (IHD) of the Rockefeller Foundation, where he initially focused on virological research amid the Foundation's global efforts to combat tropical diseases.^[3] Over the next two decades, he advanced through key positions within the IHD, culminating in his appointment as Director of the Virus Laboratories in 1951, a role he held until 1963 while overseeing broader laboratory operations until his retirement in 1964.^[15]^[11] In this leadership capacity, Theiler directed the Foundation's virology programs from its New York headquarters, emphasizing collaborative international initiatives to address infectious disease threats.^[16] Theiler's administrative oversight extended to the management of the Rockefeller Foundation's international yellow fever research stations, notably those in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Dakar, French West Africa, which served as critical hubs for fieldwork in endemic regions.^[17] These stations, established to monitor virus transmission and support eradication campaigns, were coordinated under his guidance to facilitate data sharing and resource allocation across continents. He played a pivotal role in organizing field trials for vaccine efficacy, such as the large-scale tests initiated in Brazil in 1938, which demonstrated the potential for widespread immunization in urban and rural settings.^[2] Additionally, Theiler supervised the systematic collection and cataloging of yellow fever virus strains from diverse ecological niches, including sylvatic forms from jungle cycles in South America and West Africa, enabling comparative studies that informed global surveillance strategies.^[18] During World War II, Theiler's leadership drove institutional innovations at the Foundation, including the establishment of standardized protocols for virus attenuation through serial passage in tissue culture and the scaling of vaccine production to meet urgent military and civilian demands.^[19] These protocols, developed in the Foundation's New York laboratories, emphasized quality control measures like potency testing and sterility assurance, which facilitated the production of millions of doses without compromising safety. By mid-1942, under his direction, the Foundation had supplied approximately 7.7 million doses to Allied forces and affected populations worldwide.^[20]^[19] However, in 1942, contamination of vaccine batches with hepatitis B virus from human serum stabilizers resulted in widespread jaundice among vaccinated U.S. troops, prompting the Foundation to develop a safer, serum-free formulation that became the standard.^[19] This culmination supported the widespread adoption of the 17D vaccine, marking a turning point in global health infrastructure.^[21]

Academic Positions at Yale University

In 1964, following his retirement from the Rockefeller Foundation, Max Theiler transitioned to academia as professor of epidemiology and microbiology at Yale University School of Medicine, where he served until 1967.^[16] This appointment marked a shift toward educational and consultative roles, building on his extensive experience in virology.^[13] During his tenure at Yale, Theiler played a key role in establishing the Yale Arbovirus Research Unit (YARU), which advanced research and education in emerging virological fields such as arboviruses.^[22] He contributed to virology curricula by integrating practical insights from arbovirus studies, emphasizing the identification, classification, and control of vector-borne viruses.^[22] As a professor, Theiler mentored graduate students and international trainees from regions including South America, Africa, and Asia, training a generation of arbovirologists in laboratory techniques and epidemiological approaches.^[23] The YARU, under Theiler's influence, was designated by the World Health Organization as the International Reference Centre for Arboviruses, facilitating global collaborations on virus surveillance and vaccine-related research.^[22] Post-retirement in 1967, Theiler continued advisory work for international health organizations, providing consultations on vaccine production and safety for arbovirus diseases, including yellow fever.^[23]

Scientific Contributions

Early Studies on Yellow Fever Etiology

In the mid-1920s, Max Theiler, while at Harvard Medical School's Department of Tropical Medicine, focused on elucidating the etiology of yellow fever amid ongoing debates over its causative agent. Building on earlier findings by the Walter Reed Commission that suggested a filterable agent, Theiler and his colleagues conducted pivotal experiments in 1927 to confirm the viral nature of the disease. They passed infectious material from yellow fever patients through bacteria-proof filters—such as Chamberland candles with pores small enough to exclude bacteria—and successfully induced the disease in rhesus monkeys upon inoculation, demonstrating that the pathogen was ultramicroscopic and non-bacterial.^[3]^[2] Theiler's work also involved close scrutiny of bacterial hypotheses, particularly through collaboration with peers addressing Hideyo Noguchi's proposal that Leptospira icteroides (a spirochete) was responsible. In 1926, alongside Andrew Watson Sellards, Theiler performed serological tests using the Pfeiffer phenomenon—bacteriolysis induced by immune sera in guinea pigs—to show that antisera against L. icteroides failed to neutralize yellow fever infectivity, while yellow fever-immune sera protected against the virus but not the spirochete. These experiments conclusively differentiated the viral etiology from bacterial contaminants, refuting Noguchi's theory and aligning with global efforts to establish yellow fever as a filtrable virus disease.^[2]^[24] Between 1928 and 1930, Theiler advanced propagation techniques to overcome the limitations of rhesus monkey models, which were costly and logistically challenging. He initially adapted the virus to chick embryos, achieving serial passage by inoculating fertile eggs and harvesting from embryonic tissues, which supported virus replication without overt host death. Concurrently, in 1930, Theiler demonstrated that the virus could be serially passaged in the brains of white mice via intracerebral injection, inducing a fatal encephalitic syndrome that mirrored aspects of human disease while enabling high-titer virus production at low cost. These adaptations not only facilitated routine laboratory study but also laid the groundwork for later attenuation work at the Rockefeller Foundation.^[3]^[2]

Development of the Attenuated Yellow Fever Vaccine

Max Theiler's efforts to develop a vaccine against yellow fever began in the early 1930s at the Rockefeller Foundation's International Health Division, building on prior demonstrations that the disease was caused by a filterable virus. He focused on attenuating virulent strains through serial passage in non-human tissues to reduce pathogenicity while preserving immunogenicity. Starting with the Asibi strain, isolated in 1927 from a patient in Ghana, Theiler conducted extensive passages in mouse brain tissue followed by chick embryo cultures. Between 1930 and 1937, the virus underwent over 200 serial passages, initially in developing mouse embryos to adapt it to neural tissues, then shifting to minced chick embryo tissue devoid of nervous system components to minimize neurotropism.^[14]^[2]^[25] A pivotal breakthrough occurred in 1937 when Theiler and his colleague Hugh Smith identified the 17D strain after the 89th to 114th subcultures in chick embryo tissue. This variant exhibited markedly reduced viscerotropism—the tendency to cause liver damage—and neurotropism, rendering it low in virulence yet capable of inducing protective immunity without causing disease in humans. The attenuation process involved empirical selection for stability, as the virus lost its ability to replicate aggressively in primate models while maintaining antigenicity, making 17D suitable for direct subcutaneous immunization without the need for protective antiserum. This strain's development marked a significant advance in live-attenuated vaccine technology for flaviviruses.^[14]^[2]^[26] Early safety and efficacy trials commenced immediately after the 17D strain's isolation, beginning with animal models and progressing to human volunteers. In 1937, Theiler and several colleagues, including himself, self-injected the experimental vaccine, experiencing only mild symptoms such as fever while demonstrating increased immunity to yellow fever challenge.^[14]^[2] By 1937–1938, controlled human trials involving Rockefeller Foundation staff and residents in endemic areas confirmed the vaccine's safety, with minimal adverse reactions and robust seroconversion rates exceeding 95% after a single dose. These preliminary tests paved the way for larger-scale field trials in Brazil in 1938, validating its protective effects.^[14]^[2] The vaccine's production rapidly scaled during World War II to meet demands for immunizing Allied troops and civilians in tropical regions. Facilities at the Rockefeller Foundation and international partners, including in Brazil and the United States, produced millions of doses using chick embryo propagation methods. Between 1940 and 1947, over 28 million vaccinations were administered, dramatically reducing yellow fever incidence among military personnel deployed in Africa and South America, with no reported cases of vaccine-induced disease in healthy recipients. This wartime application underscored the 17D strain's reliability and contributed to its global adoption as the standard yellow fever vaccine.^[27]^[2]

Discovery and Research on Theiler's Murine Encephalomyelitis Virus

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, while conducting experiments at Harvard Medical School and later at the Rockefeller Institute to adapt the yellow fever virus for propagation in mice, Max Theiler observed unexpected flaccid paralysis in apparently healthy control mice that had not been intentionally inoculated with the yellow fever agent. This phenomenon, first noted around 1930, was initially attributed to the yellow fever virus itself but was soon recognized as resulting from a contaminating neurotropic agent present in the mouse colonies used for the research.^[28] Theiler's investigations revealed that this agent induced acute encephalomyelitis, characterized by inflammation and neuronal destruction primarily in the gray matter of the brain and spinal cord, leading to hindlimb paralysis in a significant proportion of infected mice. By 1934, Theiler had isolated the causative virus from affected mouse brain tissue and conducted serial passages to study its properties, publishing a preliminary report on its spontaneous occurrence as a new viral disease in laboratory mice. In his seminal 1937 paper, he provided a detailed characterization, demonstrating that the virus—now known as Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV)—was highly neurotropic, replicating efficiently in the central nervous system following intracerebral or intranasal inoculation, with peak titers reaching approximately 10^6 to 10^7 plaque-forming units per gram of tissue during the acute phase (3–12 days post-infection). Theiler described pathological lesions including perivascular cuffing, neuronal necrosis, and gliosis in the brainstem and spinal cord, which closely mimicked aspects of human poliomyelitis. Subsequent classification in the mid-20th century identified TMEV as a member of the Picornaviridae family, genus Cardiovirus, a non-enveloped, single-stranded RNA virus with a genome of about 8,100 nucleotides encoding structural and non-structural proteins.^[28] Theiler's further research in the 1930s and 1940s elucidated TMEV's biphasic disease course in susceptible mouse strains, where the acute phase involved rapid viral replication and polio-like paralysis, often resolving with high mortality or recovery, while a subset of survivors developed a chronic phase marked by persistent low-level infection, mononuclear cell infiltration, and primary demyelination in the spinal cord white matter (evident 25–40 days post-infection). These demyelinating lesions, accompanied by axonal sparing and immune-mediated inflammation, highlighted TMEV's potential as an experimental model for studying virus-induced neurological damage.^[28] During this period, Theiler and collaborators, including Claus W. Jungeblut, explored the virus's variability through passages in different mouse strains and routes of inoculation, confirming its stability as a filterable agent distinct from yellow fever virus and emphasizing its enteric origin as a natural mouse pathogen that occasionally invades the CNS. TMEV quickly became a valuable animal model in the 1930s and 1940s for investigating poliomyelitis, given its ability to produce ascending flaccid paralysis and anterior horn cell involvement similar to the human disease, facilitating studies on viral pathogenesis, immunity, and serotherapy without relying on scarce primate models. By the early 1940s, its chronic demyelinating effects were recognized as analogous to multiple sclerosis, enabling research into immune responses, viral persistence, and potential therapeutic interventions in a controllable rodent system, though full appreciation of this parallel grew with postwar histopathological analyses.^[28] Theiler's work on TMEV not only expanded virological tools but also underscored the risks of latent infections in laboratory animals, influencing hygiene standards in biomedical research.

Additional Virological Investigations

During his time at the Rockefeller Foundation's International Health Division in the 1930s, Max Theiler conducted studies on dengue fever, focusing on its transmission dynamics and efforts to attenuate the virus for potential vaccine development. These investigations included experiments with mosquito vectors to elucidate the role of Aedes aegypti in disease spread, building on earlier work confirming dengue as a viral illness rather than bacterial. Although attenuation attempts using serial passage in animal models did not yield a viable vaccine at the time, Theiler's contributions advanced understanding of flavivirus propagation and host interactions.^[3]^[16] Theiler also investigated Japanese B encephalitis, a mosquito-borne flavivirus causing viral encephalitis, through comparative virological studies at the Rockefeller laboratories. In collaboration with Sven Gard, he differentiated Japanese B encephalitis virus from the related St. Louis encephalitis virus by analyzing their antigenic properties, multiplication patterns in mouse brains, and pathological effects, which helped clarify etiological distinctions in arboviral encephalitides. These findings contributed to early frameworks for diagnosing and classifying neurotropic viruses.^[3] In parallel, Theiler's work on poliomyelitis advanced physical virology by employing ultrafiltration techniques to determine the virus particle size. Working with Johannes H. Bauer, he filtered poliomyelitis virus preparations through graded collodion membranes, estimating the particle diameter at 12 to 17 millimicrons, which provided critical evidence of its submicroscopic nature and supported subsequent propagation studies in non-neural tissues. This research aided in demystifying the virus's neurotropism and informed broader insights into encephalitic viruses.^[29]^[30]^[3] Beyond these targeted studies, Theiler explored rickettsial diseases, including investigations into the immunology and causation of Weil's disease (leptospirosis), often in conjunction with viral pathogens. His broader expertise informed collaborative efforts, such as contributions to the seminal text Viral and Rickettsial Infections of Man (1948), where he authored sections on arboviruses and emerging infectious agents, synthesizing epidemiological and laboratory data to guide public health responses. These works underscored the interdisciplinary links between viral and rickettsial pathologies, leveraging Rockefeller Foundation resources for integrated research.^[3]^[16]

Awards and Honors

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

In 1951, Max Theiler was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine as the sole recipient for his "discoveries concerning yellow fever and how to combat it," recognizing his pioneering work in developing an effective vaccine against the disease.^[31] This accolade marked him as the first South African-born Nobel laureate in Medicine, highlighting his contributions to virology and public health.^[32] The prize culminated his efforts on the attenuated yellow fever vaccine first developed in 1937.^[1] During the Nobel ceremony in Stockholm on December 11, 1951, Theiler delivered his lecture titled "The Development of Vaccines against Yellow Fever," in which he outlined the serial passage methods used to attenuate the virus, including cultivation in mouse brains and chick embryo tissues to reduce its virulence while maintaining immunogenicity.^[14] He emphasized the vaccine's dual forms—viscerotropic and neurotropic strains—and their application in immunization strategies, underscoring the importance of balancing safety and efficacy in vaccine design.^[14] The lecture also addressed the global implications of the vaccine, noting its role in transforming yellow fever from a widespread epidemic threat into a largely controlled infection through widespread vaccination campaigns and mosquito control efforts.^[14] Theiler acknowledged the Rockefeller Foundation's instrumental support in his research, crediting collaborative experiments that enabled the vaccine's production and distribution to millions worldwide, thereby averting countless outbreaks in endemic regions.^[3] This recognition affirmed the vaccine's enduring impact on eradicating yellow fever threats in urban and jungle settings.^[16]

Other Major Recognitions

In 1939, Theiler was awarded the Chalmers Medal by the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in recognition of his pioneering research on yellow fever etiology and vaccine development.^[33]^[16] In 1945, he received the Flattery Medal from Harvard University for his contributions to medical research.^[3]^[16] Theiler received the Albert Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award in 1949 for his contributions to clinical medicine, particularly the creation of an effective attenuated vaccine against yellow fever that has saved millions of lives.^[34]^[16] His stature in the scientific community was further affirmed by election to the National Academy of Sciences in 1944.^[35] Theiler also earned honorary degrees from several universities, including a Doctor of Science from the University of Cape Town in 1935.^[36]

Personal Life and Legacy

Family and Personal Interests

Max Theiler married Lillian Graham in 1928.^[3] They had one daughter, Elizabeth Theiler Martin, born in 1939, who died in 2024.^[37] The family resided in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, during much of Theiler's tenure at the Rockefeller Foundation.^[38] In 1964, following Theiler's appointment as professor of epidemiology and microbiology at Yale University, the family relocated from their home in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, to New Haven, Connecticut, where they settled for the remainder of his career.^[6] This move aligned with his transition to academic leadership at Yale, maintaining family stability amid professional changes.^[3] Theiler's wife, Lillian, provided support in his scientific endeavors, contributing to a balanced home life that complemented his intensive research focus.^[16]

Death and Enduring Impact

Max Theiler died on August 11, 1972, in New Haven, Connecticut, at the age of 73 from lung cancer.^[16]^[12] Following his death, Theiler's most enduring contribution, the 17D attenuated yellow fever vaccine, has continued to play a pivotal role in global public health. Approximately 850 million doses of the vaccine have been administered worldwide since its development, providing lifelong immunity and significantly reducing the incidence of yellow fever in endemic regions of Africa and South America.^[39]^[40] This widespread use has prevented numerous outbreaks, averting severe illness and death in vulnerable populations where the mosquito-borne virus remains a threat.^[41] Theiler's legacy extends as a foundational figure in vaccinology, where his innovative attenuation techniques for the yellow fever virus paved the way for modern approaches to arbovirus research and vaccine development against other flaviviruses, such as dengue and Zika.^[2] As the first African-born recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, his accomplishments have inspired increased diversity and participation from underrepresented regions in scientific endeavors.^[32]

References

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Honorary graduates. The university bestowed high academic honours in the form of degrees awarded honoris causa on the following distinguished men and women.
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Next generation live-attenuated yellow fever vaccine candidate: Safety and immuno-efficacy in small animal models ... Over 600 million doses of this vaccine have ...
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Oct 20, 2025 · WHO fact sheet about yellow fever, an acute viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes. It provides key facts and ...