South American hemorrhagic fever

South American hemorrhagic fever refers to a group of arenaviral hemorrhagic diseases caused by rodent-borne New World mammarenaviruses in the Americas ^[1][2]. The cited sources identify the group as including Junin, Machupo, Chapare, Guanarito, and Sabia viruses ^[2]. In the available literature, SAHF is presented as a surveillance and clinical category rather than a single pathogen entity, and source-backed detail on additional etiologic subtyping is not yet available ^[1][3].

The available sources characterize SAHF as a serious illness with high mortality rates, but they do not provide a consolidated symptom list in the supplied excerpts ^[1]. One review places SAHF among acute, severe diseases caused by emerging viruses and emphasizes pathogenesis, clinical features, and diagnostics as core topics, indicating clinically important illness requiring specialized attention ^[3]. Source-backed detail on incubation period, typical symptom sequence, organ complications, or recovery pattern is not yet available in the provided material ^[1][3]. The literature also notes that licensed medical countermeasures are limited, which underscores the severity context in which the syndrome is discussed ^[3].

SAHF is described as rare, with relatively low incidence and a pattern of sporadic outbreaks rather than sustained widespread transmission ^[1][2]. The 2025 source states that recognized outbreaks have occurred in certain regions of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, and Venezuela ^[2]. Another review notes that viral isolates responsible for SAHF in the Americas have been identified over the last four decades, and that their presence in the Western hemisphere is likely ancient and coevolutionary with rodent hosts ^[1]. Source-backed detail on case counts, seasonality, or formal surveillance burden is not yet available in the supplied sources ^[1][2].

The provided sources support rodent-borne exposure as the principal transmission ecology for SAHF ^[1][2]. One source additionally states that the group has a proven capacity for limited human-to-human spread ^[2]. Beyond these points, source-backed detail on specific routes such as aerosols, direct contact, or environmental persistence is not yet available in the supplied material ^[1][2].

Source-backed detail on specific high-risk groups for South American hemorrhagic fever is not yet available in the provided excerpts. The broader tropical viral illness source notes that pregnant women and malnourished or immunocompromised infants carry the greatest risk of adverse outcome for viral exanthems generally, but it does not specifically attribute that risk pattern to SAHF and therefore should not be applied here as a disease-specific statement ^[4].

The source excerpts do not provide a detailed prevention schedule or standardized control package for SAHF ^[3]. Available material does, however, indicate active interest in countermeasures, including one vaccine platform with potential benefit and a novel Junin vaccine under development, alongside a One Health framing for surveillance and control strategies ^[3][2]. The 2025 source also links spillover risk to regional agricultural land-use change, suggesting that exposure control and land-use-aware surveillance are relevant public-health considerations ^[2].

In surveillance settings, SAHF should be read as a low-incidence but high-consequence rodent-borne hemorrhagic fever category with outbreak-prone behavior in parts of South America ^[1][2]. The literature emphasizes the epidemic potential of the group and notes that WHO included SAHF in its Pathogen Prioritization Report in 2024, which supports attention in emerging-pathogen monitoring ^[2]. Because the group includes multiple viruses and source-backed detail on clinical discriminators is limited in the provided excerpts, event-based reporting and geographically anchored outbreak review are especially important ^[2][3].

1. 1 Doyle TJ et al. Viral hemorrhagic fevers and hantavirus infections in the Americas. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 1998 Mar. PMID: 9494832. doi: 10.1016/s0891-5520(05)70411-6. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9494832/
2. 2 A One Health approach for South American hemorrhagic fevers. CABI One Health. 2025. doi: 10.1079/cabionehealth.2025.0008. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1079/cabionehealth.2025.0008
3. 3 Frank MG et al. South American Hemorrhagic Fevers: A summary for clinicians. Int J Infect Dis. 2021 Apr. PMID: 33610781. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.02.046. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33610781/
4. 4 Carneiro SC et al. Viral exanthems in the tropics. Clin Dermatol. 2007 Mar-Apr. PMID: 17350501. doi: 10.1016/j.clindermatol.2006.05.009. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17350501/
5. 5 Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis, Lassa Fever, and the South American Hemorrhagic Fevers (Arenaviruses). Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 2015. doi: 10.1016/b978-1-4557-4801-3.00169-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-1-4557-4801-3.00169-7
6. 6 Arenaviruses: Lassa Fever, Lujo Hemorrhagic Fever, Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis, and the South American Hemorrhagic Fevers. Viral Infections of Humans. 2014. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4899-7448-8_8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7448-8_8

ICD-10

A96.0-A96.1

ICD-11

1D61

Total cases

0

Peak month

2005-01

Coverage

1 reporting countries · 2005-01-01 → 2026-06-01