What are Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers?
Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHFs) refer to a group of diseases caused by a variety of distinct virus families; Examples of VHFs include Ebola, Marburg, and Lassa Fever.
Some VHFs cause only mild illness, but others cause severe disease and death. Common symptoms shared by VHFs include fever, bleeding, and organ damage. Most VHFs have no known cure of vaccine. When an outbreak of a VHF occurs, it is important to quickly identify people who are exposed and to get medical care for those who fall ill.
While VHFs are rare in the United States, health departments are sometimes tasked to follow up with and provide support to people who are self-monitoring for symptoms after travelling to an outbreak area.