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- Published on: 19 June 2019
- Published on: 19 June 2019Robust rapid diagnostics for CCHF in endemic seasons
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHF) is of increasing consequence in endemic regions as global climate changes increase the length of dry hot weather, facilitating the expansion of host tick populations which carry the virus. The virus is carried by the Ixodid (Hyalomma) tick found on a range of cattle and camel species. CCHFV is endemic to Africa, the Balkans, Middle-East and Asia. In the animal reservoir it results in sub-clinical infection but in humans, infection can lead to rashes, fevers and leads to hemorrhagic disease with a fatality ranging between 10 -40%. Mazzola LT et al., in their article discuss the importance of improved diagnostics for CCHFV and discuss the pros and cons of methods which have been reported in published literature and discussed the options for serological and RT-PCR based tests as LDT and commercial assays (1). The article however gave a limited statement about the reasons for the spread of CCHFV and this Letter aims to expand on that aspect.
CCHFV in endemic regions has been associated with the Muslim religious festival of Eid-ul Azha when a large number of animal sacrifices occur, leading to increased contact between individuals who are not usually involved in animal husbandry or meat handling (2, 3). This change in the pattern of animal handling together with the influx of animals into urban areas for the festival increases contact with possibly infected animals, increasing risk of CCHF.
Of note, the CCHF prevale...
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None declared.