A group of diseases known as haemorrhagic fevers are spread by various virus families. These illnesses can lead to fever and bleeding problems, often accompanied by damage to the organs and blood vessels, and they can cause serious issues. Well-known illnesses including Ebola, Marburg, Lassa fever, and dengue fever fall within this category.
Viral infections caused by various viruses are diagnosed as hemorrhagic fever, and the viruses are mainly transferred through mosquitoes, rodents, or ticks. According to Mayo Clinic, hemorrhagic fever causes internal bleeding; this disease is fatal at certain time

Understanding the causes, symptoms, and impacts of hemorrhagic fevers is essential for globally health initiatives because of the high death rates linked with certain of these illnesses. Let’s take a closer look at hemorrhagic fevers.

Diseases That Cause Hemorrhagic Fever

Several viral infections lead to hemorrhagic fever. Among the most common of these is:

1. Dengue Fever: This disease is transmitted by the Aedes mosquito. Dengue fever causes high fevers, together with muscle pain and a significant risk of hemorrhagic fever in more severe cases.
2. Yellow Fever: Another mosquito-borne disease is yellow fever. Its most severe forms cause jaundice and liver failure. Like dengue, it will progress to hemorrhagic fever.
3. Ebola Virus: Arguably, it is the most fatal, so far, hemorrhagic fever-causing agent known to man, and the Ebola virus is such a disease that has accounted for significant case fatality through extensive internal and external bleeding and failure of organs.
4. Lassa Fever This fever is endemic in West Africa and it is acquired by contact with the virus that lives in rodents and even excretions of infected rodents. In severe cases, this has been known to cause hemorrhaging.

Another difference is that the Marburg virus, like the Ebola virus, can cause severe hemorrhagic fever with a high mortality rate.

How Does Haemorrhagic Fever Affect the Body?

It mainly attacks the body at the blood vessels, which then become more fragile and prone to rupture, besides weakening the vessel walls, thus leaking and leading to both internal and external bleeding. According to the Mayo Clinic, hemorrhagic fevers trigger symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and muscle pain and, in extreme instances, lead to life-threatening complications such as internal bleeding and shock.

Symptoms of Haemorrhagic Fever

The symptoms of haemorrhagic fevers can vary depending on the virus, but often they include a combination of:

Early Symptoms

• High fever: Sometimes one of the first symptoms is high fever.
• Fatigue: feel extreme tiredness and weakness.
• Sharp ache in the head, muscles, and joints: this syndrome is often severe and persistent. most common in dengue.

Advanced Symptoms

• Bleeding: This can be through the nose, gums, and under the skin. Internal bleeding may cause damage to organs inside the body.
• Organ Dysfunction: liver and kidney damage are common complications in this fever.
• Shock: In the later stages, hypotension becomes present, and the patient may even experience organ failure.

Unique Symptoms by Virus

• Ebola and Marburg: hemorrhaging in severe cases.
• Dengue Fever: “breakbone fever” associated with severe muscular and joint pain.
• Lassa Fever: swelling of the face and severe respiratory distress.

Early detection and management of symptoms significantly improve survival rates.

Is Haemorrhagic Fever Fatal?

Yes, even hemorrhagic fever can be fatal unless immediate medical attention is provided. Ebola and Marburg virus are also lethal diseases that cause internal bleeding due to severe shock and multi-organ failure resulting in death. The dengue hemorrhagic fever is also a very severe form of dengue fever, leading to death if it is not properly treated.

Fatalities and Complications

This risk of death seems to be associated with the type of virus, speed of diagnosis, and availability of proper medical care. Patients with hemorrhagic fever may have complications such as:

• Severe internal bleeding
• Multi-organ failure
• Hypovolemic shock (extremely low blood pressure due to blood loss)

Mortality Rates

• Ebola Virus: Ebola virus mortality rates range from 25% to 90%, depending on the strain and care availability.
• Marburg virus: mortality rates of this virus average around 50%.
• Dengue Fever: While generally less fatal, the severe form (Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever) can lead to death if untreated.

Geographical Hotspots

Because they have connections to certain viruses and reservoirs, hemorrhagic fevers mainly affect tropical and subtropical locations. For instance:

• Ebola: Concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Dengue fever: dengue fever is epidemic in Southeast Asia, the Americas, and the Pacific Islands.
• Lassa Fever: this fever is predominantly in West Africa.

Prevention and Treatment of Hemorrhagic Fever

Prevention tends to revolve around avoiding contact with the vectors that transmit these viruses. Using mosquito repellents and nets in areas prone to dengue and yellow fever, for example, can reduce infection. For certain viruses like yellow fever, vaccination exists, though no widespread vaccines exist for diseases like Ebola and dengue.

Vaccination

Certain hemorrhagic fevers, like dengue and yellow fever, can be prevented by vaccination. Vaccines against other viruses, such as Ebola, are still being developed.

Public Health Measures

• Vector Control: removing mosquito breeding places and using insecticides to lower mosquito populations.
• Improved Hygiene: Maintain hygiene by encouraging hand washing and good hygiene.
• Surveillance and quarantine: Monitoring outbreaks and separating afflicted persons.

Personal Protective Measures

• Use bed nets and insect repellents.
• putting on protective gear when in endemic regions.
• keeping away from animals or people who might be infected.

Treatment Options

While supportive in nature, treatment greatly improves the outcomes of viral haemorrhagic fevers. Some of the keys to treatment of these haemorrhagic fevers are as follows:

• Fluid replacement therapy: Fluid replacement therapy helps in replacing fluid to prevent shock and maintain blood pressure.
• Other drugs: There are several drugs that have been proved to be useful in particular settings, such as ribavirin for the treatment of Lassa fever.
• Oxygen therapy: patient to be monitored for possible respiratory symptoms.
• Pain control: It lessens the occurrence of painful joint and muscular pain.

For Ebola, experimental drugs like monoclonal antibodies and antiviral medicines have been proved useful in reducing fatality rates when outbreaks occur.

Haemorrhagic fever is a fatal disease that, if not promptly diagnosed and treated, results in secondary complications. Such complications include dying from the internal hemorrhage, organ failure, and death. Prevention and treatment via vaccination and control over vectors coupled with continuous medical discoveries that aid in the treatment will help solve such diseases as well as reduce the death tolls.

FAQs About Haemorrhagic Fever

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