Hemorrhagic fever symptoms and urgent warning signs

Symptoms may begin with fever, chills, headache, muscle or joint aches, and unusual tiredness. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain, and poor appetite can follow. Later warning features may include a spreading rash, red eyes, easy bruising, bleeding from the nose or gums, blood in vomit or stool, dizziness, or confusion.

These symptoms overlap with many ordinary infections, so they do not confirm a diagnosis. The combination of symptoms and a possible exposure is what makes urgent clinical advice especially important. Record the start of each symptom and any change in severity.

Seek urgent advice if fever follows travel, animal or insect contact, contact with an ill person, or another setting where a serious infection could spread. Call before visiting a healthcare facility and describe the symptoms and exposure. Keep away from blood and body fluids, do not share towels or needles, and follow instructions about isolation.

Sip fluids if you are alert and able to drink. Avoid aspirin and ibuprofen unless prescribed for this illness, and do not delay care while trying home remedies. Someone who is faint, confused, or unable to drink should not travel alone.

Emergency help is needed for any bleeding, severe breathing difficulty, collapse, confusion, severe pain, repeated vomiting, black stools, or rapidly worsening weakness. Tell responders about recent travel and contacts before you arrive. This allows them to prepare appropriate precautions and assess other people who may have been exposed.

Ask which symptoms require immediate transfer, what testing may be considered, how to drink safely, and how to protect people at home. Clarify which pain or fever medicines are suitable for you.