Yahoo News Travellers warned about virus detected in Spain that is fatal in a third of cases
Travellers are being warned about a serious illness found in Spain which is fatal in almost a third of cases, according to reports.
The Foreign Office-backed Travel Health Pro website warned people thinking of going to Spain to watch out for Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever which is passed on through tick bites. The Spanish Castile and León Ministry of Health said a patient is in hospital in a serious but stable condition and is in isolation in Salamanca.
It said: “The patient remains admitted, stable in serious condition, at the Salamanca Hospital, where the protocolized epidemiological and care measures have been adopted. The confirmed case is an elderly man who is admitted to the Salamanca Hospital with a clinical picture compatible with CCHF. He has a tick bite and remains stable, although with the clinical severity that this pathology implies, with the isolation measures and protection of health professionals provided for these situations."
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The Epidemiology Section of the Territorial Health Service of the Government of Castilla y León in the province of Salamanca, in collaboration with doctors at the Hospital of Salamanca, said Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is caused by a virus. It said the: “Main transmission mechanism is the bite of the tick of the genus “Hyalomma”, although it can also be transmitted from person to person through contact with blood or fluids of the patient, which can occur especially in healthcare personnel when they are not properly protected.”
The Spanish health authorities issued advice on how to take action to prevent catching CCHF, reports BristolLive. It said: “Regarding the prevention of bites by these insects, health authorities remind us of the importance of wearing appropriate clothing and footwear during outings in the countryside, as well as walking along paths and using repellents for both people and pets. Likewise, it must be insisted that any ticks that may have attached must be removed as soon as possible and appropriately, preferably by health professionals.”
Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever was identified in the Crimea (as Crimean fever) in 1944 and in the Belgian Congo (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) in 1956. In Spain, CCHF virus was first reported in ticks in 2010. The Spanish Ministry of Health reported 12 human cases and 4 deaths in Spain between 2013 and August 2022.
Travel Health Pro added: “The virus exists in nature in domestic and wild animals including horses, donkeys, goats, cattle, sheep, and pigs. The virus is usually transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected tick, or by direct contact with infected animal/human bodily fluids.
"Exposure to the virus is also possible from contact with blood from crushing an infected tick. Camping and hiking are risk factors for exposure to tick bites. The incubation period is between 1 and 13 days. Case fatality rate is approximately 30 percent.”
