A preliminary report on Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever in Turkey, March - June 2008

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a disease caused by a virus belonging to Bunyaviridae family. CCHF virus isolation and/or disease have been reported from more than 30 countries in Africa, Asia, south-eastern Europe, and the Middle East [1]. The main transmission routes of the virus are tick-bite and contact with tissues, body fluids and blood of infected animals [1-4]. Nosocomial transmission is another important route of infection [1]. The incubation period is generally described as 1-3 days after tick-bite and 5-6 days after exposure to infected animal or human blood or body fluid, but it can be longer. Fever, chills, headache, fatigue and myalgia are the most common symptoms in the pre-haemorrhagic period. The disease progresses to haemorrhagic form in severe cases [1]. The fatality rate of disease is reported between 7.5-50% in hospitalised patients [4-7]. This wide range may due to phylogenetic variation of the virus, transmission route and different treatment facilities [4-7].