DISEASE NAME:
Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers
CATEGORY:
Vectorborne
Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers
Viral haemorrhagic fever agents (VHFs) include zoonotic diseases, all of which may cause a haemorrhagic syndrome in humans. The term viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF) refers to a group of illnesses caused by four distinct families of viruses: the arenaviruses, bunyaviruses, filoviruses, and flaviviruses. VHFs of particular concern are those that have the potential for person to person spread. These are: Ebola Virus Disease, Marburg Virus Disease, Lassa fever and other arena viruses, Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic fever.
Case Definitions
Clinical criteria
Any person with at least one of the following two:
- Fever
- Haemorrhagic manifestations in various forms that may lead to multi-organ failure
Laboratory criteria
At least one of the following two:
- Isolation of specific virus from a clinical specimen
- Detection of specific virus nucleic acid in a clinical specimen and genotyping
Epidemiological criteria
At least one of the following:
- Travel in the last 21 days to a region where VHF cases are known or believed to have occurred
- Exposure within the last 21 days to a probable or confirmed case of a viral haemorrhagic fever whose onset of illness was within the last six months
Case classification
A. Possible case
NA
B. Probable case
Any person meeting the clinical criteria and with an epidemiological link
C. Confirmed case
Any person meeting the clinical and the laboratory criteria
Current as of: 28 May 2018
Information, Data and Reports for Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers
Ireland’s specialist service for the surveillance of communicable diseases.