Abstract

Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHF) are caused by a disparate group of viruses from four different virus families a€“ Arenaviruses, Bunyaviruses, Filoviruses and Flaviviruses. These viruses have a substantial public health impact with few effective vaccines or antivirals available. Although their structures, vectors and replication cycles are very different, there are common pathogenic features between them. The meeting is designed to bring together the research communities around these individual viral families, to explore common pathways and mechanisms employed by the viruses, to discuss current medical countermeasures, and to foster collaborations. The specific aims of the conference are to: 1) Discuss the methods employed by hemorrhagic fever viruses to subvert host innate immune responses; 2) Assess the mechanisms causing endothelial dysfunction and coagulopathy that are hallmarks of VHF disease; 3) Look at the contributions of host genetics in disease progression; 4) Describe the state of the art in diagnostics; and 5) Present data on promising candidate vaccines and therapeutics. This symposium will occupy a unique niche as there is not a current scientific conference which brings these communities together in a focused manner.