Senegal reports additional Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) case, Brings total for the year to five
The Senegal Ministry of Health (MOH) reported an additional human Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) case, bringing the number of cases to five since March.
On 22 March 2024, the Institut Pasteur in Dakar (IPD) confirmed a case of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in a 25-year-old male farmer. The patient, originally from the Guinguinéo district, probably contracted the disease while working in the Ndoffane district.
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Since that case, a cumulative five human cases were reported from four regions—Dakar (1), Kaolock (2), Matam (1) and Yeumbeul (1).
No deaths have been reported.
The latest case, the fifth this year, from Guinguineo health district in Kaolock region has been managed and stabilized, officials report.
Human CCHF infection mainly occurs after the bite of an infected tick or exposure to blood or tissues from infected animals; human-to-human transmission, particularly in healthcare settings, has also been reported.
CCHF causes clinical manifestations in humans ranging from asymptomatic infection to severe hemorrhagic fever. The case-fatality rate (CFR) during outbreaks is typically 5%–30%, but CFRs of up to 62% have been reported.
CCHF is the most geographically widespread tickborne disease, identified in >30 countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe located south of the 50th parallel north.
The annual incidence is estimated to be 10,000–15,000 cases worldwide but has been slowly and steadily rising. That increase in incidence is thought to be caused by the expanding range of its main vector, Hyalomma ticks, and by increased testing.
Most cases occur after tick bites; the second most common means of exposure is through bodily fluids and tissue from infected animals; and last, human-to-human transmission can occur in the healthcare setting.