Viral hemorrhagic fever

The following summary is from Orphanet, a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs.

Viral hemorrhagic fever is a group of recently discovered contagious viral infections characterized by severe, multiple, and often fatal hemorrhages. African fevers include Lassa fever discovered in 1969, Marburg's disease that first occurred in 1967, and Ebola fever that appeared in 1976. Other viruses may also cause hemorrhagic fevers (for example, arbovirus fever).

Regarding Lassa fever, after a 7-day incubation period, fever and ulcerating hemorrhagic pharyngitis occur, followed by pleuropneumonia. The disease then progresses to either spontaneous cure or to profuse digestive or pulmonary bleeding that leads to death in 35 to 70% of cases. Transmission of Ebola between humans occurs mainly via direct contact with the disease or with infected biological products, rather than by the air-borne route. Clinical manifestations appear after a 4-16 day incubation period, initially with fever, cephalalgia, myalgia and conjunctival suffusion. Digestive symptoms then appear, including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, and are associated with leuco-thrombocytopenia. The next stage is marked by hemorrhage in the nose, intestines or genitalia. Biological findings include an isolated elevation of transaminases and stigmatas of disseminated intravascular coagulation. The disease is usually fatal within a few days.

The reservoir for Lassa fever is a rodent which transmits the virus to humans directly, with no need of a vector. Ebola and Marburg viruses belong to the filoviridae viral family, but their reservoirs remain unknown. The source of the first documented Marburg epidemic was a group of African green monkeys imported from Uganda. Ebola virus causes deadly localized epidemics centered around central Africa.

Treatment is symptomatic. Secondary prevention within hospital services consists of the total isolation of affected patients. The disease is notifiable.

Visit the Orphanet disease page for more resources.

Last updated: 8/1/2006

Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.