Viral hemorrhagic fever

Encyclopedia : V : VI : VIR : Viral hemorrhagic fever

Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) are a group of illnesses that are caused by several distinct families of viruses: Arenavirus, Filoviridae, Bunyaviridae and Flavivirus. Some of these cause relatively mild illnesses, whilst others can cause severe, life-threatening disease. Examples include Lassa fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, Bolivian haemorrhagic fever, Korean hemorrhagic fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever and Dengue hemorrhagic fever.

The broadspectrum antiviral compound ribavirin does not appear to be active against dengue virus. PMID 2353804.

Sites of notable outbreaks

• Mékambo in Gabon is the site of several outbreaks of ebola hemorrhagic fever.
• Orientale, Congo villages of Durba and Watsa were the epicenter of the 1998–2000 outbreak of Marburg hemorrhagic fever.
• Uige Province in Angola is the site of world's worst haemorrhagic fever epidemic.

See also

• Biological agent
• Biopreparat is a leader in the development of bioweapons.
• Bioterrorism
• Fever
• List of viruses

Sources