UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

• OSHA Standards
• Hazard Recognition
• Medical Response
• Control and Prevention
• Additional Resources

Hazard Recognition

Risk factors for viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) include travel to geographic areas where these diseases may naturally occur, handling of animal carcasses, contact with animals or people with the disease, and arthropod bites. The following references aid in recognizing disease characteristics and hazards associated with VHFs.

Disease Recognition

• Infection Control for Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers (VHF) in the African Health Care Setting. Developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in conjunction with the World Health Organization (WHO). Provides resources for healthcare professionals.
• Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Contains travel notices, guidelines for healthcare workers and guidelines about the Ebola virus for workers.
• Diseases Handled by Viral Special Pathogens Branch (VSPB). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Provides an explanation of the types of VHFs. The following links provide specific disease information including symptoms, occurrence, and transmission:
  • Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers
  • Arenaviruses
  • Lassa Fever
  • Filoviruses
  • Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever
  • Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever
  • Rift Valley Fever
• The World Health Organization (WHO) provides the following fact sheets about viral hemorrhagic fevers. Each fact sheet includes a history, symptoms, transmission, therapy, and containment.
  • Yellow fever. Fact Sheet No. 100, (January, 2011).
  • Ebola haemorrhagic fever. Fact Sheet No. 103, (August 2012).
  • Rift Valley fever. Fact Sheet No. 207, (Updated May 2010).

Bioterrorist Threat Evaluation

Factors that contribute to the bioterrorism potential of VHFs include infectious properties, morbidity and mortality, transmissibility by way of aerosol dissemination, and prior research and development as biological weapons. The following references provide information that may help evaluate the threat of viral hemorrhagic fevers being used as biological weapons.

• Viral Hemorrhagic Fever (VHF) Overview. Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP). Offers comprehensive overview with links to a list of countries that have either weaponized VHFs or have conducted biological weapons research on these viruses. Also links to hemorrhagic fever viruses that pose serious threats as potential biological weapons.
• Healthcare system not ready for attack with hemorrhagic fever viruses. Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), (May 8, 2002). Discusses a report released by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) regarding how poorly prepared the healthcare system is to combat a terrorist attack involving VHFs.
• Borio, L., et al. "Hemorrhagic Fever Viruses as Biological Weapons." Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), 287.18(May 8, 2002): 2391-2405. Contains information on the history of tularemia and its use in biowarfare, as well as epidemiology, clinical images, diagnosis, vaccination, treatment, and infection control.