What Causes Viral Hemorrhagic Fever?

Viral hemorrhagic fevers are spread

by contact with infected animals or insects

. The viruses that cause viral hemorrhagic fevers live in a variety of animal and insect hosts. Most commonly the hosts include mosquitoes, ticks, rodents or bats. Some viral hemorrhagic fevers can also be spread from person to person.

How is viral hemorrhagic fever diagnosis?

How are viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) diagnosed?

Doctors diagnose VHFs with blood and urine tests

. These tests allow a doctor to examine a sample of blood or urine to see if it contains proteins and antibodies associated with VHFs.

What virus causes hemorrhagic fever?

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.

Is hemorrhagic fevers viral or bacterial?

Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) are a diverse group of animal and human illnesses in which fever and hemorrhage are caused by a

viral infection

.

Is viral hemorrhagic fever curable?

How are viral hemorrhagic fevers treated? Generally

there is no known cure or treatment for these diseases

. People with these illnesses may get supportive treatment. This may include getting fluids or assistance with breathing and pain relievers.

Is hemorrhagic fever fatal?

These symptoms are often accompanied by hemorrhage (bleeding); however, the bleeding

is itself rarely life-threatening

. While some types of hemorrhagic fever viruses can cause relatively mild illnesses, many of these viruses cause severe, life-threatening disease.

What is the best treatment for viral hemorrhagic fevers?

While

no specific treatment exists for most

viral hemorrhagic fevers, the antiviral drug ribavirin (Rebetol, Virazole) might shorten the course of some infections and prevent complications in some people. Other medications are being developed.

What virus causes internal hemorrhage?

What is

Ebola

? Ebola is a virus that causes problems with how your blood clots. It is known as a hemorrhagic fever virus. This is because the clotting problems lead to internal bleeding, as blood leaks from small blood vessels in your body.

Can dengue hemorrhagic fever be cured?

There is no specific medicine to treat dengue infection

. If you think you may have dengue fever, you should use pain relievers with acetaminophen and avoid medicines with aspirin, which could worsen bleeding. You should also rest, drink plenty of fluids, and see your doctor.

Can you survive hemorrhagic fever?

These diseases most commonly occur in tropical areas. In the United States, people who get them usually have recently traveled to one of those areas.

There's no cure for viral hemorrhagic fevers

.

Is viral hemorrhagic fever airborne?

Yes. Many hemorrhagic fever viruses are considered possible bioterrorism agents because they are highly infectious,

can be aerosolized (made airborne)

, and would cause serious illness in the target population.

What is meant by hemorrhagic fever?

Viral hemorrhagic fever:

A syndrome caused by infection with one of a number of viruses that can cause increased permeability of the blood vessels resulting in bleeding into

the skin, internally, or from the mouth or other orifices. The bleeding is usually not life-threatening.

What are the symptoms of dengue hemorrhagic fever?

• Headache.
• Muscle, bone or joint pain.
• Nausea.
• Vomiting.
• Pain behind the eyes.
• Swollen glands.
• Rash.

How viral fever is transmitted?

Fever-causing viral infections are often highly contagious and spread from person to

person through hand-to-hand transmission or transmission via respiratory droplets in the air

. People tend to contract cold and flu viruses when the they enter their bodies through the mouth, nose, or eye.

Is dengue hemorrhagic fever?

In the past 30 years, dengue transmission and the frequency of dengue epidemics have increased greatly in most tropical countries in the American region. Some patients with dengue fever go on to develop dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), a severe and sometimes

fatal form

of the disease.

Why is Ebola called hemorrhagic fever?

As the virus spreads through the body, it damages the immune system and organs. Ultimately, it causes levels of blood-clotting cells to drop. This

leads to severe, uncontrollable bleeding

. The disease was known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever but is now referred to as Ebola virus.