Hemorrhagic fevers are serious illnesses of viral origin characterized by bleeding and multi-organ failure. They are very often fatal. What symptoms? With which viruses? Update with Sylvain Baize, head of the National Reference Center for Viral Hemorrhagic Fever at the Institut Pasteur.
Definition: what is hemorrhagic fever?
“Hemorrhagic fevers include a range of contagious viral diseases ranging froma mild to severe stage that can lead to death, explains Sylvain Baize, head of the National Reference Center for Viral Hemorrhagic Fever at the Institut Pasteur. These diseases occur suddenly, with muscle and joint pain, fever, bleeding and shock due to multi-visceral failure”. In severe cases, bleeding from natural orifices and internal organs is one of the dominant symptoms.
What are the modes of transmission of hemorrhagic fever?
There are several modes of transmission of viral hemorrhagic fevers:
- From one person to another by direct contact with the skin or body fluids of an infected person
- By through the droppings or urine of infected rodentsor contacts with the natural reservoir such as the bat
- By handling or eating raw meat from infected animals or unpasteurized milk (Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, Rift Valley fever)
- By mosquito bites (Rift Valley fever, dengue fever, yellow fever) or ticks (Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever).
What viruses cause hemorrhagic fever?
“Some viruses are more associated with hemorrhagic fever,” continues our interlocutor. It’s the case :
► Filoviruseslike the virus Ebola or Marburg virusfound mainly in the regions of Central and West Africa.
► arenaviruses, like the virus Lassa fever in West Africa and the Junin virus in South America
“These viruses cause increased permeability (leakage of blood) from blood vessels and coagulation disorders that will cause bleeding. Other viruses, including some South American arenaviruses, dengue virus, hantavirus, and yellow fever viruscan also cause bleeding. These infections are often deadly.
What are the symptoms of hemorrhagic fever?
“Symptoms of hemorrhagic fever include fever, severe fatigue, muscle aches and body aches, vomiting, diarrhea as well as bleeding from the mouth, nose, or internal organsdsays Sylvain Baize. The diagnosis will be confirmed by blood tests or more rarely by microscopic examination of a sample of infected tissue (post-mortem analysis)“.
In case of haemorrhagic fever, it is necessary to consult your doctor or go to the emergency room.
Who and when to consult for hemorrhagic fever?
In case of haemorrhagic fever, it is necessary to consult your doctor or go to the emergency room. “On the other hand, the diagnosis of these infections is only made by a national reference center, that of viral haemorrhagic fevers for filoviruses, arenaviruses and the CCHF virus and that of arboviruses for viruses transmitted by mosquitoes”.
What is the treatment for hemorrhagic fever?
“He there is no really effective antiviral treatment to date, regrets the specialist in viral hemorrhagic fevers. The treatments used aim “only” to treat symptoms and manage organ failure (resuscitation care)“.
Can you die from hemorrhagic fever?
“Viral hemorrhagic fevers are infections that can all cause fatal infections“, concludes Sylvain Baize.
Thanks to Sylvain Baize, head of the National Reference Center for Viral Hemorrhagic Fever at the Institut Pasteur