United States: A man succumbed to the infection known as lethal ‘bleeding eyes’ disease, which is also known as Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF). It is to be noted that the fatality rate of the deadly disease is more than 40 percent, which is concerning.
As per the reports by Metro, the man was 74 years old and lost his life in a hospital near Madrid on Saturday. The health authorities have denied releasing the identity of the deceased man. According to reports, he was admitted to Rey Juan Carlos University Hospital in Spain.
According to the preliminary information from the health authorities, he lost his life after being bitten by a tick in Toledo, following which he was diagnosed with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus. Due to this, he was transferred to another hospital – with a special isolation ward – to avoid further spread.
Reportedly, during the initial days, his condition was stable, but it kept deteriorating after he developed all the symptoms linked to the CCHF.
He died on Saturday, marking the first-ever death linked to CCHF since May 2020. Following this, health authorities are on high alert to avoid spreading the infection to others.
What exactly is Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever?
CCHF is also known as ‘Ebola-like’ due to its similar hemorrhagic symptoms. Tickborne virus is responsible for causing the infection. World Health Organisation (WHO) has termed it as a “priority disease” as its fatality rate is high and there is no vaccination for the same. Along with this, this also falls in the list of nine pathogens which are most likely to trigger a pandemic.
Besides this, health experts have mentioned that CCHF has been declared an endemic in all parts of Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East, and certain areas of Asia, according to reports.
Along with tick bites, the infection can also spread via bodily fluids of infected humans and animals. Along with this, the ticks can also result in infections like Lyme disease and Powassan virus.
The initial symptoms experienced by CCHF are abdominal pain, fever, muscle aches, sore throat and vomiting. Along with this, the person can also witness confusion, mood swings, sleepiness and trigger bleeds – especially from the nose or broken capillaries on the skin and eyes.
The World Health Organisation has mentioned that the main approach to manage the infection is supportive care with treatment for the symptoms. The commonly used antiviral drug used to treat the infection is ribavirin, along with this, the health experts have urged the avoid getting a bit from a tick.