Arthropod-borne flaviviruses

In 1901 the prototype flavivirus disease, yellow fever, was the first human illness shown to be caused by a filterable virus, and, in 1927, it became the first member of the flavivirus family to be isolated. The Flaviviridae derive their name from yellow (flavus, Latin) fever. From the medical perspective, the flaviviruses are the most important group of arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses). Dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are major causes of human morbidity worldwide. Yellow fever remains an epidemic threat in Africa and South America. Since its introduction into North America, West Nile virus (WNV) has caused annual outbreaks of encephalitis and febrile illness in North America and has spread throughout the Americas as far south as Argentina; Japanese encephalitis (JE) remains a major cause of viral encephalitis in Asia.