Bolivian haemorrhagic fever

Definition

A disease endemic to Bolivia that is caused by an infection with Machupo virus. Early disease symptoms/signs include fever, mild hypertension, headache, bleeding gums, and fatigue. Advanced signs include mucous membrane haemorrhage, epistaxis, melaena, and neurological damage such as tremors, seizures, loss of muscle control, and coma. Onset of disease symptoms occurs usually within seven days of infection. The lethality ranges from 18% to 22%. Transmission occurs by inhalation, consumption, or direct contact with excretions and bodily fluids from infected rodents. Diagnosis occurs by identification of Machupo virus from blood or mucosal secretions samples.

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