ABSTRACT
In the past, the term “viral hemorrhagic fever” (VHF) has been used by many researchers and clinicians for a variety of clinical syndromes that at least supercially bear resemblance to each other. However, despite more than 60 years of research, it remains unclear whether the various syndromes deemed to be VHFs truly share common denominators, such as shared effects on particular molecular pathways during pathogenesis or particular ecological factors that lead to their emergence. In a book on pathogens causing diseases currently referred to as VHFs, it therefore seems necessary to at least discuss the evolution of the term and to raise the question whether it is truly meaningful and thereby useful.
