Hemophagocytic syndrome is a rare disorder with impaired activity of natural killer cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes. There is excessive activation of lymphocytes and macrophages, hypercytokinaemia and uncontrolled hemophagocytosis. It is characterized by fever, pancytopenia, splenomegaly and hemophagocytosis in bone marrow and other tissues. The syndrome is associated with collagen vascular diseases, malignancies and infections most frequently caused by viruses, prominently linked with Epstein-Barr viral infection. We report a case of Epstein-Barr virus associated hemophagocytic syndrome in a 19 year old boy who responded to treatment with steroids and etoposide.