Viral haemorrhagic fever in children.
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
MacDermott, NE
De, S
Herberg, JA
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Viral haemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) are currently at the forefront of the world's attention due to the recent Zaire ebolavirus epidemic in West Africa. This epidemic has highlighted the frailty of the world's public health response mechanisms and demonstrated the potential risks to nations around the world of imported cases of epidemic diseases. While imported cases in children are less likely, the potential for such a scenario remains. It is therefore essential that paediatricians are aware of and prepared for potential imported cases of tropical diseases, VHFs being of particular importance due to their propensity to cause nosocomial spread. Examining the four families of viruses-Filoviridae, Arenaviridae, Bunyaviridae and Flaviviridae, we describe the different types of VHFs, with emphasis on differentiation from other diseases through detailed history-taking, their presentation and management from a paediatric perspective.
Date Issued
2016-01-19
Date Acceptance
2015-12-19
Citation
Archives of Disease in Childhood, 2016, 101, pp.461-468
ISSN
0003-9888
Publisher
BMJ Publishing Group
Start Page
461
End Page
468
Journal / Book Title
Archives of Disease in Childhood
Volume
101
Copyright Statement
© 2016, BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
Identifier
PII: archdischild-2014-307861
Subjects
Children
Ebola virus disease
Lassa fever
Marburg virus
Viral haemorrhagic fever
Publication Status
Published