What Is Hemorrhagic Fever?
Reviewed: Dr. Gromatzky
5. Is It Contagious?
Only some types of VHF can be spread from person to person. Most require a reservoir host to spread to humans. These hosts can include animals or insects. Ebola, Lassa, Marbug and other VHFs can be spread between humans and are considered contagious.
In contagious VHFs, the virus is spread through contact with bodily fluids or skin contact. It can take up to 21 days for symptoms to start to develop, so it can be difficult to find the source of many VHFs. Contagious hemorrhagic fevers are rare in the United States, with most cases originating in tropical regions of the world.
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