Approach To A Suspected Case Of Vhf


by Dr. D.S. Merchant - Date: 2007-03-31 - Word Count: 268 Share This!

General Principles;
- Case identification:
- Patient should be classified as probable if
o Temperature of 101F (38.3C) or greater for < 3 weeks duration
o Bleeding diathesis without predisposing factors for hemorrhagic manifestations
o leucopenia or thrombocytopenia
- Patient should be classified as possible if
o Temperature of 101F (38.3C) or greater for < 3 weeks duration
o leucopenia or thrombocytopenia

If clinician feels that VHF is likely (probable) diagnosis, they should take two immediate steps.
1. Isolate the patient
2. notify infection control service

All other patients with possible diagnosis should be kept on standard blood and body fluid precautions.

Definition of Contact: A contact is a person who has been exposed to an infected person or to an infected person's secretions within three weeks of the patient's onset of illness.

Contact may be:

o Casual contacts are people on the same aero plane or in the same hotel. No special attention is required.

o Close contacts are defined as those family members living with patient or health Care workers coming into close contact with patient blood and body fluids. When the Diagnosis is confirmed, they should be placed under surveillance for three weeks.

o High-risk contacts are those with:
Mucous membrane contact with the patient (kissing, sexual intercourse), health care worker who has done CPR, intubations or line placement without precautions. Needle-Stick or other penetrating injury. These contacts should be placed under surveillance as soon as VHF is considered to be a likely diagnosis in the index patient. Any contact that develops a temperature 38.30C or higher or any other symptoms of illness should be immediately isolated and treated as a VHF patient.

Ribavirin should be prescribed as post-exposure prophylaxis for high-risk contacts of patients with CCHF.

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Dr. D.S. Merchant is a Gold Medalist in (Anatomy & Histology)
For more information on Viral Hemorrhagic Fever or visit health.update.pk is a popular website that offers information on VHF - Viral Hemorrhagic Fever, VHF Solutions, and VHF Medications. Please leave the links intact if you wish to reprint this article.

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