Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever

Abstract

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne zoonotic infectious disease caused by the CCHF virus belonging to the genus Nairovirus of the Bunyaviridae family. Transmission occurs mainly as a result of Hyalomma m. marginatum (from Ixodidae family) tick bite. Nosocomial, laboratoryrelated transmission and travel-related cases have also been reported. Contact with the blood and infected products of viremic animals is another mode of transmission. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever was first described in 1944 in the former Soviet Union on the peninsula of Crimea. In Turkey, the disease was recognized in 2002 and the first laboratory-confirmed case was reported in 2003. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever has been reported in more than 30 countries in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa since it was first described. It is characterized by fever, muscle and joint pain, thrombocytopenia, elevation of liver and muscle enzymes, bleeding, and shock in serious cases. Although the case-fatality rate has been reported between 5-80%, this rate is 5% on average for Turkey. There is currently no effective treatment or safe vaccine specific to CCHF. With its wide geographical distribution and mortality, CCHF continues to be an important health problem in endemic regions such as our country.

Keywords

• Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever
• viral hemorrhagic fever
• tick-borne disease
• ribavirin
• hyperimmunoserum