translated from Spanish: What is hemorrhagic fever and what are its symptoms?

Viral hemorrhagic fever (VFM) is a type of disease that can become fatal, are caused by various families of viruses and can be transmitted by animals and insects. So far, hemorrhagic fevers have caused the death of one person in Brazil, being the first fatality in more than 20 years. The types of viruses that cause FHV are arenavirus, filovirus, bunyavirus, togavirus and flavivirus. The bite of mosquitoes, ticks and rodents that are infected with these viruses can cause the disease, as well as contact with secretions or excretions.

What are the symptoms of viral hemocratic fever?
These are the symptoms to know if you are infected with FHV, which occur suddenly: fever, muscle pain, dizziness, neck pain and stiffness, lumbago, headache, eye irritation and photophobia. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal and throat pain at first, followed by sudden mood swings and confusion. Usual symptoms at or three days later
After two to four days of contracting these first symptoms, agitation may give way to drowsiness, depression and weakness, it could be accompanied by abdominal pain in the right upper quadrant, with detectable hepatomegaly. Tachycardia, adenopathies (inflammation of the lymph nodes) and rash by cutage) in internal mucous membranes (mouth, throat and skin) are other possible clinical signs.

Symptoms on the fifth day of contracting the disease
Signs of hepatitis are common, and patients of severity may experience rapid kidney deterioration, or sudden liver or lung failure after the fifth day of illness. In cases where it has not been recoverable during the second week, there is a high chance of dying. Among those who achieve overcome hemorrhagic fever, improvement begins between the ninth and tenth day.-With information from Efe.



Original source in Spanish