Criteria
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) case definitions[133]
Clinical criteria
An illness with acute onset of fever >100.4°F (38°C) AND one or more of the following:
Severe headache
Muscle pain
Erythematous maculopapular rash on the trunk with fine desquamation 3 to 4 days after rash onset
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Abdominal pain
Bleeding not related to injury
Thrombocytopenia
Pharyngitis, proteinuria, retrosternal chest pain (Arenaviruses only).
Laboratory criteria
Any one of the following:
Detection of VHF viral antigens in blood by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
VHF viral isolation in cell culture for blood or tissues
Detection of VHF-specific genetic sequence by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from blood or tissues
Detection of VHF viral antigens in tissues by immunohistochemistry.
Epidemiologic criteria
Contact with blood or other body fluids of a patient with VHF
Residence in or travel to a VHF endemic area or area with active transmission
Work in a laboratory that handles VHF specimens
Work in a laboratory that handles bats, rodents, or primates from a VHF endemic area or area with active transmission
Sexual exposure to semen from a confirmed acute or clinically recovered case of VHF.
Suspect case:
Meets clinical criteria AND epidemiologic criteria.
Confirmed case:
Meets laboratory criteria.
CDC: viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) 2022 case definition Opens in new window
World Health Organization: case definition for Ebola or Marburg virus disease[95]
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also produced a case definition:
WHO: case definition recommendations for Ebola or Marburg virus diseases Opens in new window
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