Why are viral hemorrhagic fevers a bio-terrorism threat?
The high rate of death and illness caused by VHFs make them a serious threat as biological weapons. How are viral hemorrhagic fevers spread? Viruses causing hemorrhagic fever are initially transmitted to humans when the activities of infected reservoir hosts or vectors (person, animal, or microorganism that carries and transmits a disease) and humans overlap. The viruses carried in rodent reservoirs are transmitted when humans have contact with urine, fecal matter, saliva, or other body excretions from infected rodents. The viruses associated with arthropod vectors are spread most often when the vector mosquito or tick bites a human, or when a human crushes a tick. However, some of these vectors may spread virus to animals, livestock, for example. Humans then become infected when they care for or slaughter the animals. Some viruses that cause hemorrhagic fever can spread from one person to another, once an initial person has become infected. For example, Ebola, Marburg, Lassa and Crime
