Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF)
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a widespread tick-borne viral disease, a zoonosis of domestic animals and wild animals, that may affect humans. The pathogenic virus, especially common in East and West Africa, is a member of the Bunyaviridae family of RNA viruses. Clinical disease is rare in infected mammals, but commonly severe in infected humans, with a 30% mortality rate. Outbreaks of illness are usually attributable to handling infected animals or people.
Sporadic infection of people is usually caused by Hyalomma tick bite. Clusters of illness typically appear after people treat, butcher or eat infected livestock, particularly ruminants and ostriches. Outbreaks have occurred in clinical facilities where health workers have been exposed to infected blood and fomites.
The causative organism is found in Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, a belt across central Africa and South Africa and Madagascar The main environmental reservoir for the virus is small mammals (particularly European hare, Middle-African hedgehogs and multimammate rats). Ticks carry the virus to domestic animal stock. Sheep, goats and cattle develop high titers of virus in blood, but tend not to fall ill. Birds are generally resistant with the exception of ostriches
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