[KYHAM] KEN Training 26 November 2007

[W2LTB at aol.com]

The Kentucky Emergency Net (KEN) meets every Monday at 1930 hours EST  on 
3.972.
 
Net training was a continuation of WMD. Tonight's information  follows:
 
 
Viral  Hemorrhagic Fever - Questions and Answers 
What  is it?  
VHFs refer  to a group of illnesses that are caused by several distinct 
families of viruses.  In general, the term "viral hemorrhagic fever" is used to 
describe a severe  multi-system syndrome, where multiple organ systems in the 
body are  affected. 
VHFs include  four families of viruses: filiviruses such as the Ebola and 
Marburg viruses,  arenaviruses such as Lassa, bunyavirus such as Rift Valley 
Fever and  flaviviruses such as yellow fever and dengue. They can all cause 
serious,  life-threatening illnesses. Some, including Ebola, Marburg and Lassa, are  
contagious. Although the Ebola virus gained notoriety in various films such 
as  Outbreak and books, VHFs aren't expected to be prime bioweapon  candidates 
since people die so quickly from them and often don't get a chance to  infect 
others. 
During World  War II, the Japanese army fed botulinum toxin to prisoners of 
war in Manchuria,  with lethal results. 
How  is it spread? 
VHFs  naturally occur in humans only after contact with an infected insect, 
rodent or  larger mammal. Transmission can happen via touching fecal matter, 
receiving an  insect bite or handling contaminated meat. It's possible VHFs can 
be  manufactured for aerosol dissemination but the bacterium generally don't 
fare  well in this form. 
What  are the symptoms of exposure? 
Characteristically, the overall vascular system is damaged, and the  body's 
ability to regulate itself is impaired. These symptoms are often  accompanied 
by hemorrhage (bleeding); however, the bleeding is itself rarely  
life-threatening. While some types of hemorrhagic fever viruses can cause  relatively mild 
illnesses, many of these viruses cause severe, life-threatening  disease. 
All types in  severe cases can cause hemorrhagic syndromes that cause severe 
internal and  external bleeding in places such as internal organs, under the 
skin and from the  eyes, nose, mouth and ears. Symptoms generally include high 
fever, dizziness,  muscle aches and exhaustion. The first symptoms may be felt 
from two days to  three weeks after exposure. Advanced symptoms include 
shock, nervous system  malfunction, seizures and coma. Fatality rates range from 90 
percent for Ebola  to 1 percent for Lassa. 
How  is it treated? 
Treatment is  available for some VHFs, but not all. In the event of an 
outbreak, routine  infection control procedures, isolation and decontamination are 
usually enough  to stop transmission. Treatments vary depending on which virus 
a victim has. No  treatments or vaccines exist for Ebola or Marburg, but 
therapy can prevent shock  and help organs function. Antiviral drug ribavirin can 
treat some VHFs fairly  well if given early on. A yellow fever vaccine is 
available. Other treatments  are under development. 
Who  has it/Where can it be found? 
The most  worrisome VHFs, such as Marburg and Ebola, are hard to acquire from 
the wild  because their natural host is unknown and outbreaks are rare. VHFs 
are studied  in some labs, mainly high-security ones. Research on Ebola and 
several others  was done by the Soviet Union before its biowarfare program was  
dismantled. 
Experts warn  that because microbe collections in Russia, Kazakhstan, Georgia 
and Uzbekistan  are not adequately secured, terrorist groups or states might 
be able to steal or  otherwise obtain weaponized strains of plague, tularemia 
and VHFs. 
Further information can be found on kyares13.kyham.net and  several 
government websites such as cdc.org.
James A.  McDonnell, W2LTB
Section Emergency Coordinator
Kentucky ARES
email:  w2ltb at arrl.net
web: kyares13.kyham.net



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