Hemorrhagic Fevers

Summary

Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) are a group of illnesses caused by four families of viruses. These include the Ebola and Marburg, Lassa fever, and yellow fever viruses. VHFs have common features: they affect many organs, they damage the blood vessels, and they affect the body’s ability to regulate itself. Some VHFs cause mild disease, but some, like Ebola or Marburg, cause severe disease and death.

VHFs are found around the world. Specific diseases are usually limited to areas where the animals that carry them live. For example, Lassa fever is limited to rural areas of West Africa where rats and mice carry the virus.

The risk for travelers is low, but you should avoid visiting areas where there are disease outbreaks. Because there are no effective treatments for some of these viral infections, there is concern about their use in bioterrorism.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Specifics

• Arenaviruses (Arenaviridae) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever World Health Organization
• Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Filoviruses (Filoviridae) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Lassa Fever Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Marburg (Marburg Virus Disease) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Marburg Virus Disease World Health Organization
• Nipah Virus (NiV) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Rift Valley Fever (RVF) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Yellow Fever Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Yellow Fever Vaccine Recommendations Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Find an Expert

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
• World Health Organization World Health Organization

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Hemorrhagic Fevers, Viral National Institutes of Health
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Lassa Fever National Institutes of Health
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Yellow Fever National Institutes of Health

Journal Articles

• Hemorrhagic Fevers

Statistics and Research

• Study of Mosquito Protein Could Lead to Treatments Against Life Threatening Viruses National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Related Issues

• Travelers’ Health: Yellow Fever Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Start Here

• Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHFs) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Patient Handouts

• Yellow fever Medical Encyclopedia
• Yellow Fever Vaccine: What You Need to Know Centers for Disease Control and Prevention