Venezuelan Hemorrhagic Fever

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever (VHF) is a zoonotic human illness, first identified in 1989.It causes fever and malaise followed by hemorrhagic manifestations and convulsions. It is fatal in 30% of cases. The disease is endemic to Portuguesa state and Barinas state in Venezuela . This virus requires Biosafety Level Three or Four conditions, the highest ones.The causal agent, Guanarito virus, is spread to humans through contact with the excreta of two rodent species: the Short-tailed Cane Mouse (Zygodontomys brevicauda), and Alston's Cotton Rat (Sigmodon alstoni). Human-to-human transmission of the virus has not been observed.