hemorrhagic fever

noun

: any of a diverse group of virus diseases (such as Lassa fever and Ebola) that are usually transmitted by arthropods or rodents and are characterized by a sudden onset, fever, aching, bleeding in the internal organs, petechiae, and shock

Examples of hemorrhagic fever in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The patient being treated in Johannesburg tested positive for a hantavirus, a family of viruses that can cause hemorrhagic fever, South African spokesperson Foster Mohale said. —Christopher Harris, CBS News, 11 May 2026

More specifically, the CDC estimates symptoms of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) appear between 1 and 8 weeks after exposure, and symptoms of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) appear within 1 to 2 weeks; however, symptoms can rarely take up to 8 weeks. —Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 11 May 2026

Hantavirus vaccine development began in the late 1980s with Hantavax, an inactivated vaccine designed for strains circulating in South Korea and China that cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, a study in the journal Vaccines suggests. —Dr. Jennifer Miao, ABC News, 10 May 2026

These viruses cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), a disease marked by fever, bleeding, and kidney damage. —ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hemorrhagic fever

• achiever
• believer
• deceiver
• perceiver
• receiver
• reliever
• retriever
• transceiver
• cleaver
• leaver
• weaver
• unbeliever

Medical Definition

hemorrhagic fever

noun

: any of a diverse group of virus diseases (as Korean hemorrhagic fever, Lassa fever, and Ebola) that are usually transmitted to humans by arthropods or rodents and are characterized by a sudden onset, fever, aching, bleeding in the internal organs (as of the gastrointestinal tract), petechiae, and shock