Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers

These are caused by a variety of viruses with the common feature that a severe illness can occur with haemorrhagic features. Exact distribution is unclear but areas where human cases have occurred are described below. Those marked * have occasionally resulted in human to human spread usually in conditions of very poor hygiene or to laboratory workers.
There are Official guidelines produced in Britain by the Departnments of Health on the management and control of VHFs.

Yellow fever (sub-Saharan Africa, central and South America) , Dengue (widespread in India, Asia, central America and northern parts of South America. patchy in Africa), Rift Valley Fever (central, east and southern Africa) are all spread by mosquitoes.

Crimean-Congo*, (Africa, Asia, Middle East, Iran, Pakistan, Former USSR, Eastern Europe), Omsk* (Siberia), Kyasanur (Southwest India) are spread by ticks.

Korean, Hantaan (Asia, Europe, Scandinavia, Kenya), Argentinian (rural area north west of Buenos Aires), Bolivian* (rural north east), Venezuelan, Brazilian*(Amazonian region), Lassa* (West Africa especially Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria, and related strains in the Central African republic, Zimbabwe and Mozambique) are transmitted through excreta from rodents and through blood and human excreta from infected patients in conditions of poor hygiene.

Marburg* (Uganda), Ebola* (Zaire and southern Sudan) fevers are of unknown origin. but can be spread through blood and human excreta from infected patients in conditions of poor hygiene.

There are official Government guidelines for the management of these diseases.
Possible cases occurring in Britain must always be discussed with an Infectious Disease Consultant before hospital admission or before any laboratory investigations are performed. The local Consultant in Public Health Medicine (Scotland) or Consultant in Communicable Disease Control (England and Wales) must also be informed.