In a follow-up on the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) outbreak in Iran since March, officials report the number of cases have surpassed 120 in the past six months from 13 different provinces, according to the Mehr news agency.
Of this total, eight deaths have been recorded since March.
Case have been reported in Sistan and Baluchestan, Fars, Kermanshah, Mazandaran, Esfaha, Hormozgan, Khorasan Razavi, Yazd, Gilan, Lorestan, Ardabil and Kerman. So far, Tehran has been spared.
Since 2000, about 1000 cases of CCHF have been reported in Iran.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), CCHF spreads to humans either by tick-bites, or through contact with viremic animal tissues during and immediately post-slaughter. CCHF outbreaks constitute a threat to public health services because of its epidemic potential, its high case fatality ratio (10-40%), its potential for nosocomial outbreaks and the difficulties in treatment and prevention.
CCHF is endemic in all of Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and in Asia south of the 50° parallel north, the geographic limit of the genus Hyalomma, the principal tick vector.
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