Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever can develop into severe or even fatal forms.
- The High Council for Public Health provides an update on Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF).
- “This report is part of a recent detection in France of the FHCC genome in ticks of the genus Hyalomma, the main vectors of the disease to date,” the experts indicate.
- Therefore, one of the main preventive measures to avoid contracting Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is to avoid getting bitten by a tick.
In a new, comprehensive report on Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), the High Council for Public Health (HSCP) explains how to avoid contracting this dangerous disease.
“The High Council for Public Health was jointly contacted by the Directorate General of Health (DGS) and the Directorate General of Food (DGAL) by email dated November 2, 2023 in order to have prevention recommendations for the general population with regard to the risk of infection by the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus”, can be read at the beginning of the report. “This referral comes in the context of the recent detection in France of the FHCC genome in ticks of the genus Hyalomma, the main vectors of the disease to date”, indicates the document.
Protecting yourself from Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever first requires knowing the risk areas, which are currently the regions of Corsica, Occitanie, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (ARA). “Leisure activities (walking, hunting, etc.) and professional activities (breeding, slaughtering, etc.) exposing people to potentially infected biotopes are also at risk,” specifies the HSCP.
Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever: avoid tick bites
To avoid being infected with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, you should also avoid tick bites, the agent Hyalomma here in question being present on the ground, hidden in plant debris and actively seeking its host. “By homology with what is known for viruses of the genus Flavivirus (Powassan virus in the United States and tick-borne encephalitis virus in Eurasia), the virus could be transmitted within 15 minutes after the tick attaches to the host,” continues the HSCP.
Prevention against tick bites is mainly based on choosing covering and light-coloured clothing. It is also advisable to wear closed shoes and use skin repellents. “Regular monitoring of the body and clothing during risky activities is also essential since it is the adult ticks that bite, they are relatively large (8 mm) and therefore visible”, public health experts point out.
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever: what to do in case of a tick bite?
In case of a bite, the tick should be removed as quickly as possible and avoid removing the potentially infected animal with your fingers, as crushing it could facilitate infection. “It is recommended to use fine tweezers by taking the tick at the base of the skin or to use a tick remover. It is also necessary to try to identify the biting tick, in particular by photographing it and/or collecting it in a container. Hyalomma is in fact quite easily recognizable by its whitish ringed legs and its long biting parts”, they indicate.
Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever can also be transmitted through blood or bodily fluids (the sexual and maternal-fetal routes are also suspected, editor’s note). Therefore, in the healthcare setting, WHO recommends using the same protective measures as those recommended for Ebola virus disease.
What are the symptoms of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever?
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever was first described in an outbreak in 1944-1945 among Russian soldiers in Crimea. The CCHF virus was later isolated in 1956 from peasants in the Congo, which explains its name.
The clinical manifestations of CCHF can be severe and their presentation is variable.In 80% of cases, the infection is asymptomatic or pauci-symptomatic, and it seems that the forms in children are less severe than those in adults,” indicate the specialists.
The symptomatic forms evolve in three phases which can manifest themselves by the following symptoms: sudden onset of fever, flu-like syndrome, headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, polyadenopathies, classic hemorrhagic signs (epistaxis, hematemesis, melena, etc.), cutaneous or mucous membrane ecchymosis, neurological disorders, multiple organ failure, thrombocytopenia, leukoneutropenia, hepatic cytolysis, high inflammation, early coagulation disorders, cardiac rhythm disorders, polyneuritis, sensory disorders (visual or hearing disorders), memory disorders.
“No indigenous human case of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever has, to date, been diagnosed in France”, concludes the High Council of Public Health.