Viral hemorrhagic fevers

Viral hemorrhagic fevers are described in the sources as a broad disease group rather than a single pathogen-specific entity, and the cited material explicitly includes hantavirus infections and ebolavirus disease within this category ^[1][2]. Hantavirus infection is presented as a distinct emergent zoonotic infection with global distribution, while ebolaviruses and related filoviruses are described as causing recurrent epidemics of highly fatal hemorrhagic fever ^[1][2]. The source material does not provide a comprehensive etiologic roster for the full category, so source-backed detail beyond these examples is not yet available ^[1][2].

The clinical picture in the provided sources is dominated by capillary leak and multi-organ involvement. For hantaviruses, increased vascular permeability is described as central to pathogenesis, and the viruses can affect diverse organ systems because they target endothelial cells ^[1]. The review identifies two main hantavirus clinical syndromes, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Europe and Asia and hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome in the Americas, noting that they share overlapping symptoms, signs, and pathogenic alterations ^[1]. For Ebola virus disease, the sources state that viral cytopathology and immune-mediated cell damage can produce severe compromise of multiple organs, although recovery of tissue repair and organ function can occur with supportive care ^[2]. In capillary leak syndrome associated with viral hemorrhagic fevers, manifestations may include diffuse pitting edema, exudative serous cavity effusions, noncardiogenic pulmonary edema, hypotension, and in some cases hypovolemic shock with multiple-organ failure ^[3].

The supplied sources characterize hantavirus infections as an emergent zoonotic infection with a global distribution, while emphasizing that their epidemiology is influenced by climate, environment, social development, rodent-host ecology, and human behavior in endemic regions ^[1]. Hantavirus syndromes are described as regionally patterned, with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome endemic in Europe and Asia and hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome endemic in the Americas ^[1]. Ebola virus disease is described as reemerging repeatedly across the vast equatorial belt of the African continent over nearly 50 years, and the 2013–2015 West African epidemic is identified in the source as the most geographically extensive, most fatal, and longest lasting Ebola epidemic on record ^[2]. The source material does not provide surveillance counts, incidence figures, or a complete geographic summary for all viral hemorrhagic fevers, so those details are not yet available from the current evidence set ^[1][2].

For hantaviruses, human infection occurs through exposure to infected rodents in endemic areas, and the Andes hantavirus is noted as a special case capable of person-to-person transmission ^[1]. The source material otherwise does not specify route details such as aerosols, direct contact, or body-fluid exposures for the broader category, so further transmission characterization is not yet available from the provided snippets ^[1][2].

The evidence provided points most clearly to people exposed to infected rodents in endemic areas as a risk group for hantavirus infection, with environmental, ecological, and human behavioral factors shaping exposure risk ^[1]. For Ebola, the sources emphasize recurrent reemergence in remote, resource-poor areas of the equatorial African belt, suggesting heightened concern for populations in those settings, but they do not enumerate specific demographic or occupational risk groups ^[2]. Source-backed detail on additional high-risk groups for the broader category is not yet available from the supplied snippets ^[1][2].

The sources emphasize control through early recognition, access to rapid diagnostic testing or presumptive diagnostic algorithms, and prompt transfer of patients with hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome to facilities with critical care capacity ^[1]. For Ebola, the cited review highlights the need for early and aggressive epidemic control, better patient care in remote resource-poor settings, and further development and policy use of vaccines in epidemic and pre-epidemic situations ^[2]. Source-backed detail on community-level exposure reduction for the full category is not yet available from the snippets provided ^[1][2].

In surveillance settings, viral hemorrhagic fevers should be read as a heterogeneous category that includes distinct zoonotic syndromes with different ecologies, geographic patterns, and transmission profiles ^[1][2]. The provided sources suggest that monitoring should distinguish hantavirus disease from Ebola and other filoviral hemorrhagic fevers, because the affected regions, exposure pathways, and response priorities differ ^[1][2]. Source-backed detail on standard reporting thresholds or harmonized case definitions for the category is not yet available from the supplied material ^[1][2].

1. 1 Vial PA et al. Hantavirus in humans: a review of clinical aspects and management. Lancet Infect Dis. 2023 Sep. PMID: 37105214. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(23)00128-7. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37105214/
2. 2 Baseler L et al. The Pathogenesis of Ebola Virus Disease. Annu Rev Pathol. 2017 Jan 24. PMID: 27959626. doi: 10.1146/annurev-pathol-052016-100506. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27959626/
3. 3 Siddall E et al. Capillary leak syndrome: etiologies, pathophysiology, and management. Kidney Int. 2017 Jul. PMID: 28318633. doi: 10.1016/j.kint.2016.11.029. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28318633/
4. 4 Viral hemorrhagic fevers. Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases. 1997. doi: 10.1016/s1045-1870(97)80011-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/s1045-1870(97)80011-8
5. 5 Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers. Clinical Virology. 2016. doi: 10.1128/9781555819439.ch9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/9781555819439.ch9
6. 6 Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers. Journal of Infectious Diseases. 1970. doi: 10.1093/infdis/122.6.560. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/122.6.560

ICD-10

ICD-11

Total cases

0

Peak month

2008-07

Coverage

2 reporting countries · 2008-07-01 → 2026-06-20