Fars News Agency Health Group: Every year in the summer there are reports of outbreaks of some diseases, one of which is Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever.
How is Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever transmitted?
It is a viral disease that is a type of hard tick, both reservoir and carrier. The virus can infect many domestic and wild animals. Humans can also be infected if they come in contact with an infected animal or tick.
The virus infects most animals, but outbreaks or human epidemics can also occur. Birds other than ostriches are resistant to the virus. Contact with an infected person can also cause illness.
Has the disease just arrived in Iran?
This disease was first described in Iran in the book of Treasure of Khwarezmshah Jorjani around 1110 and in 1970 the existence of the disease in Iran was proven.
What are the symptoms of this disease in animals?
In domestic animals such as cattle and sheep, the disease has no specific symptoms and causes fever at most; Therefore, slaughterhouse and slaughterhouse staff are unlikely to notice animal disease.
What are the symptoms of the disease in humans?
Outbreaks appear to be exacerbated during the warm season. Symptoms of the disease in humans include headache, high fever, back pain and joint and muscle pain, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, red eyes and red cheeks, bleeding; For example, in the form of small spots such as needle heads or larger hemorrhages or nosebleeds and jaundice.
Symptoms appear one to three days after the bite of an infected tick or five to six days after contact with an infected animal. After a few days, the disease enters the bleeding phase. Bleeding is a major risk factor for the patient, and deaths are often due to severe internal bleeding. Mortality from disease is high and reaches thirty percent.
Is there a vaccine for this virus?
There is no valid vaccine for prevention for cattle. There is no vaccine in humans.
What is the treatment for this disease?
Treatment of the disease in humans is more supportive treatment to eliminate the complications and risks of the disease. Antiviral drugs have been used to treat this disease and it has been seen to have a positive effect.
Symptoms of the disease in humans include headache, high fever, back pain and joint and muscle pain, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, red eyes and redness of the cheeks and bleeding
Who is at risk?
Livestock farmers, farmers, slaughterhouse workers, veterinarians and health workers, especially in hospitals.
Can I get sick by eating meat?
The disease is not transmitted by eating the meat of a slaughtered animal; the virus is killed outside the body; Therefore, unless a person immediately eats the meat of a newly slaughtered animal raw, there is no possibility of infection. Meat stamped by the veterinary organization can be consumed without worry.
The first place to detect Crimean Congo fever
Mehrdad Haghighi, specialist in infectious and tropical diseasesabout “History of Crimean Congo fever“Crimean Congo fever was first observed in the Crimean region of Ukraine in 1944 and then in the Congo region in 1956, and when they realized that both diseases had the same origin and were transmitted by ticks, the name was Crimean Congo fever. Considered for it.
Year of arrival of Congo fever in Iran
The faculty member of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences continued: This disease was officially and definitively confirmed and identified in our country for the first time in 1378.
“Crimean Congo fever can be transmitted from an infected animal to a human and can be transmitted from human to another,” he said. Disappears. That is why in industrial slaughterhouses, the carcass is kept for at least 24 hours after slaughter.
The risk of contracting Crimean Congo fever virus increases when some people slaughter livestock outside the slaughterhouse.
Do not eat meat immediately after slaughter
According to a faculty member of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, unfortunately, in some areas, it is used immediately after slaughter, which increases the likelihood of disease transmission.
He added: “In industrial and licensed slaughterhouses, there are health monitors and staff use gloves, special clothes and glasses to cut the meat; Thus, the risk of contracting the Crimean Congo fever virus increases when some people slaughter livestock outside the slaughterhouse.
Chop the meat with gloves
Haghighi stated: I advise people to use gloves when chopping meat, considering the beginning of the summer season and the possibility of the spread of this disease.
The specialist in infectious and tropical diseases added: “People must keep the purchased meat at a temperature of zero to four degrees Celsius for at least 24 hours and then consume it.” Also, avoid eating raw liver and keep it at zero to four degrees Celsius for 48 hours before consumption.
The faculty member of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences announced the possibility of the outbreak of this disease in spring and summer and said: the disease has four phases. The first phase is the commune or hidden period; At this stage, after a tick bite or contact with infected tissue or blood, the virus enters the body. At this stage, the main symptoms are not yet obvious, the person may have a sore throat or body aches or other symptoms that do not seem so important.
Extremely high temperatures are effective in killing the virus
According to the truth, It usually takes one to five days from the time the virus enters until the main symptoms appear, with a maximum incubation period of 13 days, with very high temperatures being effective in killing the virus.
He continued: The next stage is the phase before bleeding; At this stage, the person feels lethargic, headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting and digestive problems.
The infectious disease specialist declared the third phase of the disease as the hemorrhagic stage and added: in this stage, different organs of the body suffer from bleeding, blood coagulation factors are destroyed and cardiovascular disorders are revealed.
The infectious disease specialist reported the death of an average of 3 out of 10 people with the disease, which often occurs in the third phase of the disease, and said: It will improve in a few weeks.
A member of the faculty of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, emphasizing the need to care and prevent the disease, said: Internal organs should follow the health tips.
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