An outbreak of crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in the south west of Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is an acute viral zoonotic disease, which is endemic in vast geographic areas including the Middle East. The causative agent, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV), is a Nairovirus, which is mainly transmitted to human from infected hard ticks and viremic livestock. Case Presentation: In April 2016, an outbreak of CCHF occurred in Khuzestan province, Iran, because of slaughtering a tick-infested calf and manipulation of its meat. Discussion: Given that viremic livestock are the main source of CCHF outbreaks in Iran, limitation of the livestock smuggling and unhealthy slaughtering is of great importance in the prevention of CCHF in endemic regions.