Crimean-Congo Fever under Full Control in Iran: Minister

Health Minister Seyyed Hassan Qazizadeh Hashemi said that the rate of the infection is subdued and there is no reason to worry.

Speaking in a ceremony in the Iranian capital of Tehran on June 10, the Iranian Health official added that since the disease has been controlled in Iran, it is not expected to see any new cases of people contracting CCHF virus.

He went on to say that over the past three weeks, no new patient has been diagnosed with CCHF and the issue is over and done.

“However, this, by no means, implies that the safety issues can be overlooked. Great care should be taken and we advise people to buy meat from authorized outlets,” Qazizadeh added.

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.