Spain reported a case of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) after a middle-aged man was diagnosed and admitted to the hospital in Castile and Leon region. According to reports the man was bitten by a tick.
According to the World Health Organization, the disease which has the fatality rate between 10% to 40% was first detected in Crimea in 1944.
Patient's Condition Remains Stable
The first case of CCHF was detected in Spain 2011. Later, in 2016, the country reported its first casualty after a Spanish man died following the diagnose of the diseases as a result of tick bite.
The Independent reported that in a statement, the health authorities in the Castile and Leon region said, "He has a tick bite and remains in a stable condition, despite the clinical severity that this pathology implies." According to the outlet, in a separate statement, the Spanish defence ministry revealed that the middle-aged man who was initially admitted to a local hospital in the northwestern city of Leon, was transferred to another hospital on a military plane.
As per WHO, a tick bite or contact with infected animal blood or tissue can also transmit the disease. It can also easily transmit between humans by close contact with blood or bodily fluids. CCHF was first discovered in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and Asia.
The outlet further reported that as per the European Centre of Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the disease, which leaves bleeding eyes, have been restricted to Balkans, Russia, Spain, and Turkey, in Europe.
Symptoms of Diseases; Panic on Social Media
Even though most of the CCHF are mild or asymptomatic, its symptoms include fever, bleeding from broken capillaries on the eyes and skin, sensitivity to light, muscle ache, dizziness, vomiting, nose bleeds, bruising, and a sore throat in the early stages, which could lead to organ failure and internal bleeding.
Both WHO and ECDC recommend prevention, early diagnosis and isolation of the patient as the only means to stop the spread of the virus. However, the recent case created panic among the social media users.
"What a name for a very rare disease! Spain confirms case of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever Ticks are nasty contemporaries. Not only for dogs & cats, but also horses," tweeted a user.
"If you dodge COVID and monkeypox, watch out for Crimean- Congo hemorrhagic fever! Keep that immune system on a swivel people!" read another.
"#Coronavirus & #Monkeypox & #Crimean #Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, Oh My! Just after #WHO declares Monkeypox a global #health #emergency... a new deadly threat appears...Coincidence? or 'Over-kill' 2 keep us home & claim midterm #votes must b by paper ballot?!" expressed a user.
