Haemorrhagic Fever

Haemorrhagic fever is caused by a number of different viruses, but the term viral haemorrhagic fever usually refers to infection by viruses of the family Filoviridae, or Arenoviridae. Filoviridae include Ebola and Marburg viruses, while Arenoviridae produces Lassa fever. It is uncertain exactly how these viruses cause the haemorrhage and shock that they do, but it is thought that they interfere particularly with the lining of blood vessels and clotting mechanisms. Lassa fever is harboured in a rat, and spread to humans by contact with urine or droppings, Marburg virus can be transmitted by contact with green monkeys, while with Ebola virus the animal host is uncertain. There is no treatment other than supportive measures for these illnesses; the fatality rate in Lassa fever outbreaks may be as low as one per cent; with Ebola virus it may be as high as 90 per cent. Person-to-person transmission can occur through contact with body fluids of infected cases.
 
 
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