Omsk hemorrhagic fever
Encyclopedia
Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever is a viral hemorrhagic fever
Viral hemorrhagic fever
The viral hemorrhagic fevers are a diverse group of animal and human illnesses that are caused by four distinct families of RNA viruses: the families Arenaviridae, Filoviridae, Bunyaviridae, and Flaviviridae. All types of VHF are characterized by fever and bleeding disorders and all can progress...

 caused by a Flavivirus
Flavivirus
Flavivirus is a genus of the family Flaviviridae. This genus includes the West Nile virus, dengue virus, tick-borne encephalitis virus, yellow fever virus, and several other viruses which may cause encephalitis....

.

It is found in Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...

. It is named for an outbreak in Omsk
Omsk
-History:The wooden fort of Omsk was erected in 1716 to protect the expanding Russian frontier along the Ishim and the Irtysh rivers against the Kyrgyz nomads of the Steppes...

.

Virology

Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever is caused by the Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever Virus (OHFV), a member of the Flavivirus
Flavivirus
Flavivirus is a genus of the family Flaviviridae. This genus includes the West Nile virus, dengue virus, tick-borne encephalitis virus, yellow fever virus, and several other viruses which may cause encephalitis....

 family. The virus was discovered by Mikhail Chumakov
Mikhail Chumakov
Mikhail Petrovich Chumakov was a Soviet microbiologist and virologist most famous for conducting pivotal large-scale clinical trials that led to licensure of Oral Polio Vaccine developed by Albert B. Sabin....

 and his colleagues between 1945 and 1947 in Omsk, Russia. The infection could be found in western Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...

, in places including Omsk, Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk is the third-largest city in Russia, after Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and the largest city of Siberia, with a population of 1,473,737 . It is the administrative center of Novosibirsk Oblast as well as of the Siberian Federal District...

, Kurgan
Kurgan
Kurgan is the Turkic term for a tumulus; mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves, originating with its use in Soviet archaeology, now widely used for tumuli in the context of Eastern European and Central Asian archaeology....

, and Tyumen
Tyumen
Tyumen is the largest city and the administrative center of Tyumen Oblast, Russia, located on the Tura River east of Moscow. Population: Tyumen is the oldest Russian settlement in Siberia. Founded in 16th century to support Russia's eastward expansion, the city has remained one of the most...

. The virus survives in water and is transferred to humans via contaminated water or an infected tick.

Symptoms

There are a number of symptoms of the virus. In the first 1–8 days the first phase begins. The symptoms in this phase are:
  • chill
    Chill
    Chill may refer to:* Chills that occur during high fevers as a result of immune response to disease* Shivering, a bodily function in response to early hypothermia in warm-blooded animals...

    s
  • headache
    Headache
    A headache or cephalalgia is pain anywhere in the region of the head or neck. It can be a symptom of a number of different conditions of the head and neck. The brain tissue itself is not sensitive to pain because it lacks pain receptors. Rather, the pain is caused by disturbance of the...

  • pain in the lower and upper extremities and severe prostration
    Prostration
    Prostration is the placement of the body in a reverentially or submissively prone position. Major world religions employ prostration either as a means of embodying reverence for a noble person, persons or doctrine, or as an act of submissiveness to a supreme being or beings...

  • a rash on the soft palate
    Palate
    The palate is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but, in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly separate. The palate is divided into two parts, the anterior...

  • swollen gland
    Gland
    A gland is an organ in an animal's body that synthesizes a substance for release of substances such as hormones or breast milk, often into the bloodstream or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface .- Types :...

    s in the neck
  • appearance of blood in the eyes (conjunctiva suffusion)
  • dehydration
    Dehydration
    In physiology and medicine, dehydration is defined as the excessive loss of body fluid. It is literally the removal of water from an object; however, in physiological terms, it entails a deficiency of fluid within an organism...

  • hypotension
    Hypotension
    In physiology and medicine, hypotension is abnormally low blood pressure, especially in the arteries of the systemic circulation. It is best understood as a physiologic state, rather than a disease. It is often associated with shock, though not necessarily indicative of it. Hypotension is the...

  • gastrointestinal symptoms (symptoms relating to the stomach and intestines)
  • patients may also experience effects on the central nervous system
    Central nervous system
    The central nervous system is the part of the nervous system that integrates the information that it receives from, and coordinates the activity of, all parts of the bodies of bilaterian animals—that is, all multicellular animals except sponges and radially symmetric animals such as jellyfish...



In 1–2 weeks, some patients may recover, although others might not. They might experience a focal hemorrhage in mucosa of gingival (relating to the gums of your mouth), uterus
Uterus
The uterus or womb is a major female hormone-responsive reproductive sex organ of most mammals including humans. One end, the cervix, opens into the vagina, while the other is connected to one or both fallopian tubes, depending on the species...

, and lung
Lung
The lung is the essential respiration organ in many air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart...

s, a papulovesicular rash (a rash in papules and vesicleson), the soft palate, cervical lymph adenopathy (it occurs in the neck which that enlarges the lymph glandular tissue), and occasional neurological
Neurology
Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...

 involvement. If the patient still has OHF after 3 weeks, then a second wave of symptoms will occur. It also includes signs of encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). If they recover from OHF they may experience hearing loss, hair loss, and behavioral or psychological difficulties associated with neurological conditions. If the sickness does not fade away, the patient will die.

Diagnosis

Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever could be diagnosed by getting virus isolation from blood, or by serologic testing
Serology
Serology is the scientific study of blood serum and other bodily fluids. In practice, the term usually refers to the diagnostic identification of antibodies in the serum...

 using immunosorbent serological assay. OHF rating of fatality is 0.5 percent through 3 percent. There is no specific treatment for OHF so far but one way to help get rid of OHF is by supportive therapy
Therapy
This is a list of types of therapy .* Adventure therapy* Animal-assisted therapy* Aquatic therapy* Aromatherapy* Art and dementia* Art therapy* Authentic Movement* Behavioral therapy* Bibliotherapy* Buteyko Method* Chemotherapy...

. Supportive therapy helps maintain hydration and helps to provide precautions for patients with bleeding disorders.

Prevention

Preventing Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever consists of avoiding activity high in tick
Tick
Ticks are small arachnids in the order Ixodida, along with mites, constitute the subclass Acarina. Ticks are ectoparasites , living by hematophagy on the blood of mammals, birds, and sometimes reptiles and amphibians...

 exposure. This puts persons engaged in camping, farming, forestry, and hunting (especially the Siberian muskrat
Muskrat
The muskrat , the only species in genus Ondatra, is a medium-sized semi-aquatic rodent native to North America, and introduced in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands and is a very successful animal over a wide range of climates and habitats...

) at great risk. Those spending time outdoors should wear protective clothing and use insect repellent for protection.

Spread

The main hosts of OHFV are rodents like the non–native muskrat
Muskrat
The muskrat , the only species in genus Ondatra, is a medium-sized semi-aquatic rodent native to North America, and introduced in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands and is a very successful animal over a wide range of climates and habitats...

. OHFV was first in ticks which gave it to rodents by biting them. Humans get the illness by getting bitten by a tick. The disease also could be transmitted by being in contact with a muskrat. They got infected and ill which lead to death. Humans later were infected by getting in contact with blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....

, feces
Feces
Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...

 or the urine
Urine
Urine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...

of a dead or sick muskrat (or any type of rat). The virus could also spread through milk from goats or sheep since the virus can live through water. The infection is very contagious. Those who follow all the procedures will have a smaller chance of getting the disease.

External links

  • http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/omsk.htm
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