Venezuelan haemorrhagic fever

Definition

A disease mainly found in rural areas of central Venezuela that is caused by an infection with Guanarito virus. Symptoms/signs among patients include fever, malaise, headache, arthralgia, sore throat, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, convulsions, and a variety of haemorrhagic manifestations. The majority of patients also develop leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. The overall lethality may reach 30% even in hospitalised patients receiving supportive care. Transmission occurs by inhalation, consumption, or direct contact with excretions and bodily fluids from infected rodents. Diagnosis occurs by identification of Guanarito virus from blood or mucosal secretions samples.

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