Hemorrhagic Fevers (Print Version)

Also called: Also called: VHFs

Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) are a group of illnesses caused by four families of viruses. These include the Ebola and Marburg viruses and Lassa fever virus. 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

Start Here

Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/vhf.htm

Overviews

Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/viral-hemorrhagic-fevers/DS00539/METHOD=print&DSECTION=all

Specific Conditions

Arenaviruses(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/arena.htm
Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/cchf.htm
Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/ebola.htm
Ebola Virus and Marburg Virus(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/ebola-virus/DS00996/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
Filoviruses(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/filoviruses.htm
Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/hfrs.htm
Lassa Fever(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/lassaf.htm
Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/lcmv/qa.htm
Marburg Haemorrhagic Fever(World Health Organization) - http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs_marburg/en/index.html
Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/marburg/qa.htm
Rift Valley Fever(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/rvf.htm

Related Issues

Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers: Health Information for International Travel(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowBookCh4-ViralHemorrhagic.aspx

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Hemorrhagic+Fever,+Ebola%22
ClinicalTrials.gov: Hemorrhagic Fevers, Viral(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Hemorrhagic+Fevers,+Viral%22

Research

Combination Vaccine Protects Monkeys from Ebola and Marburg Viruses(American Society for Microbiology) - http://www.asm.org/Media/index.asp?bid=56621

Journal Articles

References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Article: Correlates of protective immunity for Ebola vaccines: implications for regulatory... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19369954&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Rift Valley fever virus. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19335238&tool=MedlinePlus
Article: Experimental vaccine may have saved Hamburg scientist from Ebola fever. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19307268&tool=MedlinePlus
Hemorrhagic Fevers -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(hemorrhagic+fevers,viral[majr]+NOT+dengue[mh])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+systematic[sb])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus

Dictionaries/Glossaries

Glossary of Terms(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/glossary.htm

Organizations

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - http://www.cdc.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/
World Health Organization - http://www.who.int/en/

You may also be interested in these MedlinePlus related pages:

Biodefense and Bioterrorism - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/biodefenseandbioterrorism.html
Dengue - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/dengue.html
Viral Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/viralinfections.html
Infections - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infections.html

The primary NIH organization for research on Hemorrhagic Fevers is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - http://www.niaid.nih.gov/