The Resurgence of African Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers (AVHFs) in Nigeria

AVHFs are a diverse group of animal and human illnesses that are caused by five distinct families of RNA viruses: the Arenaviridae, Bunyaviridae, Filoviridae, Flaviviridae and Togaviridae. Generally, VHFs are characterized by fever and bleeding disorders and all can progress to high fever, shock, haemorrhage and death in extreme cases. Infections with haemorrhagic fever viruses are an important cause of human illness and a public health problem of global dimension especially in the African continent. VHF agents are all highly infectious via the aerosol route, and most are quite stable as respirable aerosols. This means that they satisfy at least one criterion for being weaponized, and some clearly have the potential to be biological warfare threats. These viruses are found endemic in some areas of Africa, where they depend on animal, insect or natural reservoir for survival; they are usually restricted to the geographical area inhabited by their hosts and vectors. Currently, in Nigeria there are reports of the resurgence of these viral agents such as Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo haemorraghic fevers, Ebola and Rift Valley fever in some parts of the country.