Treatment

There is currently no treatment for CHHF. Supportive therapy is important for recovery from and survival of CHHF. This includes:

maintenance of hydration
management of shock (eg, fluid resuscitation, administration of vasopressin stocks)
sedation
pain relief
transfusions (when necessary)

Recovery

Because CHHF is rare and there have only been two described outbreaks, the precise mortality and risk factors for mortality are unknown. In the first known outbreak, the only confirmed case was fatal. In the second outbreak in 2019, three out of five documented cases were fatal (case-fatality rate of 60%).

Patients who recover from infections with arenaviruses may continue to shed virus in blood, saliva, urine, or semen for months after they no longer have symptoms. For this reason, these fluids should be monitored for the presence of Chapare virus, since recovering patients have the potential to infect others (particularly sexual partners or other household members) via these fluids. Little is known about possible long-term complications or protective immunity following Chapare virus infection.

Page last reviewed: November 18, 2019

Content source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology (DHCPP), Viral Special Pathogens Branch (VSPB)