Viral haemorrhagic fevers

In brief

Viral haemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) encompass various diseases (Ebola, Lassa fever, Marburg fever, etc.) which have certain symptoms in common: high fever, muscle and joint pain, bleeding, diarrhoea and vomiting… These diseases can be serious: while the average case fatality rate is 1% for Lassa fever, it is 50% for Ebola and Marburg fever.

Viruses from different families (Filoviruses, Hantaviruses, Arenaviruses, etc.) can cause viral haemorrhagic fevers. They are transmitted through contact with carrier animals (carcasses or fluids of contaminated animals, for example for Ebola, Lassa or Marburg fevers), insect bites (mosquitoes, ticks for Crimean-Cogo and Rift Valley fevers) and human transmission (blood, secretions, etc.). Following the 2015 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, which led to over 29 000 cases of illness and around 11 000 deaths, the unprecedented mobilisation of the international community has highlighted the need to implement structural research actions to improve preparedness for viral haemorrhagic fever epidemics that present public health risks due to their epidemic potential and/or the absence or inadequacy of countermeasures: the Ebola, Lassa and Marburg viruses.