What is Viral Hemorrhagic Fever (VHF) and How do People Get it?
Viral Hemorrhagic Fever (VHF) is the name for the serious illness that results from infection with one of several different virus families. VHF virus infections, particularly those caused by the Ebola and Marburg viruses, can be severe and life-threatening, and are given their name by the fever, exhaustion, and internal bleeding that may occur in its victims. VHF illness in humans is rare worldwide and extremely rare in the United States. Outbreaks of VHF illness are generally found in Africa, South America, and Asia. People get VHF illness by touching or breathing in VHF virus. This is called being exposed to VHF. Not everybody who is exposed to VHF will get sick. But many will, and as the VHF viruses multiply inside the body, they can cause very serious illness. Someone can be exposed by touching the body or body fluids of an infected person, insect, or rodent. It is extremely unlikely that a person in the United States would be exposed to naturally occurring VHF unless they had trav
