2025/06/05 by Emma C. Thomson, Catherine Houlihan, Naomi F. Walker +1 · 1 voice
Health Professions · Medicine · #Disaster Response and Management #Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research #Viral Infections and Vectors
paper · doi:10.1017/9781009052733.041
openalex publication_date 2025/06/05 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
Viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF) is an imprecisely defined clinical syndrome, characterized by fever, bleeding tendency and multi-organ failure. It can be caused by several diverse viruses, including members of the Filoviridae, Arenaviridae, Flaviviridae, Bunyaviridae, Nairoviridae and possibly also the Rhabdoviridae families. The commonest pathogens detected in outbreaks of VHF include Lassa, Rift Valley fever virus, Ebola/Marburg viruses, Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHF) and yellow fever virus. Many of these viruses are classified as biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) pathogens, requiring high biocontainment measures both in clinical care of affected patients and in the laboratory setting. The viruses are maintained endemically in nature, with animals or insects serving as natural reservoirs. Table 40.1 gives an overview of the ecology and epidemiology of these viruses. All of these viruses have the potential to cause epidemics in humans.