Viral Haemorrhagic Fever
Viral haemorrhagic fevers are a group of illnesses that are caused by several distinct families of viruses: arenaviruses, filoviruses, bunyaviruses and flaviviruses. Some of these cause relatively mild illnesses, whilst others can cause severe, life-threatening disease.
Viral haemorrhagic fevers are a group of illnesses that are caused by several distinct families of viruses: arenaviruses, filoviruses, bunyaviruses and flaviviruses. Some of these cause relatively mild illnesses, whilst others can cause severe, life-threatening disease.
Examples of viral haemorrhagic fevers include Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, Marburg and Ebola.
Because the viruses depend on their animal hosts for survival, they are usually restricted to the geographical area inhabited by those animals. The viruses are endemic in areas of Africa, South America and Asia. Humans are not the natural host for these viruses, which normally live in wild animals. Rodents such as the multi-mammate rat, cotton rat and house mouse are the main reservoirs.
Recent Updates
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July 2008: Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever
Known VHF outbreaks in 2008
Ebola: Suspected cases in northwestern DR Congo (Equateur province), Outbreak in Bundibugyo District, western Uganda, Nov 07-Feb 08Marburg: Imported case in a Dutch tourist acquired in Uganda
Lassa: Nigeria, March-June 2008
CCHF: Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkey
The HPA provides diagnostic facilities at two reference laboratories.