Viral hemorrhagic (hem-uh-RAJ-ik) fevers are infectious diseases that can cause severe, life-threatening illness. They can damage the walls of tiny blood vessels, making them leaky. They can also interfere with the blood's ability to clot. The internal bleeding that results can range from relatively minor to life-threatening.
Some viral hemorrhagic fevers include:
- Dengue
- Ebola
- Lassa
- Marburg
- Yellow fever
These diseases most commonly occur in tropical areas of the world. When viral hemorrhagic fevers occur in the United States, they're usually found in people who've recently traveled internationally.
Viral hemorrhagic fevers are spread by contact with infected animals, people or insects. No current treatment can cure viral hemorrhagic fever. The antiviral drug ribavirin (Rebetol, Virazole, others) may help shorten the course of some infections and prevent complications in some cases. Vaccinations exist for only a few types of viral hemorrhagic fevers. Until additional vaccines are developed, the best approach is prevention.
Signs and symptoms of viral hemorrhagic fevers vary by disease. In general, initial signs and symptoms may include:
- High fever
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Muscle, bone or joint aches
- Weakness
Symptoms can become life-threatening
Severe cases of some types of viral hemorrhagic fevers may cause bleeding, but people rarely die of blood loss. Bleeding may occur:
- Under the skin
- In internal organs
- From the mouth, eyes or ears
Other signs and symptoms of severe infections can include:
- Septic shock
- Nervous system malfunctions
- Coma
- Delirium
- Kidney failure
- Respiratory failure
- Liver failure
The viruses that cause viral hemorrhagic fevers live naturally in a variety of animal and insect hosts — most commonly mosquitoes, ticks, rodents or bats.
Each of these hosts typically lives in a specific geographic area, so each particular disease usually occurs only where that virus's host normally lives. Some viral hemorrhagic fevers also can be transmitted from person to person, and can spread if an infected person travels from one area to another.
Simply living in or traveling to an area where a particular viral hemorrhagic fever is common will increase your risk of becoming infected with that particular virus. Several other factors can increase your risk even more, including:
- Working with the sick
- Slaughtering infected animals
- Sharing needles to use intravenous drugs
- Having unprotected sex
- Working outdoors or in rat-infested buildings
- Being exposed to infected blood or other body fluids
Viral hemorrhagic fevers can damage your:
- Brain
- Eyes
- Heart
- Kidneys
- Liver
- Lungs
- Spleen
Consultation
Book An Appointment
Courier your medicine
Give us a Call