Is the United States Prepared for Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Importations?
By Thomas G. Ksiazek, D.V.M., Ph.D. Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHF) is a term used to describe a group of severe, often life-threatening illnesses that can be caused by infection with any of a number of diverse agents from several virus families. These agents are, by and large, exotic to the United States, but they could be imported into this country by an infected traveler. On the basis of our experience with viral hemorrhagic fevers during large outbreaks, the CDC’s Special Pathogens Branch has concluded that the most contagious of the viral hemorrhagic fevers are those caused by the Ebola viruses. Other hemorrhagic fever viruses include Marburg, Lassa fever, the New World Arenaviruses, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, Rift Valley fever, hantaviruses, and several tick-borne flaviviruses. With the exception of Marburg virus, which is similar to the Ebola viruses, these viruses are rarely transmitted to close contacts, such as medical caregivers and family members responsible for nursin
