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It’s no secret that the UK has faced a turbulent year of lockdowns due to the global pandemic. With the country inching closer towards being fully vaccinated, many hoped these restrictions would soon be lifted.
However, public health experts are now warning that another lockdown may be on its way due to a new virus sweeping through Europe – Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF).
Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever is a disease caused by a tick-borne virus that can also spread through contact with infected livestock animals and human-to-human contact.
It has been identified as a major threat to public health and causes death in between 10% – 40% of those infected. The World Health Organization estimates it kills around 500 people each year worldwide, and 3 billion people are currently at risk from its spread across Europe.
Currently there is no vaccine available for CCHF.
Professor James Wood, an academic at University of Cambridge who spoke before Parliament’s Science, Innovation and Technology Committee last week said: “It’s when rather than if [the disease reached the UK].”
He added that although it was unlikely to cause respiratory transmission like Covid-19 does, he warned that all necessary precautions should still be taken as “it’s not right for this form of infection.”
The hosts of CCHF include cattle, sheep, goats and other common animals which become infected by biting ticks carrying the virus which remains in their blood stream for up to one week after infection.
Most human cases occur amongst those involved in agricultural work or farming industries such as slaughterhouse workers or veterinarians so extreme caution should be taken when handling livestock animals.
Additionally humans can transmit it amongst each other via bodily fluids which means thorough disinfection protocols must be observed especially in healthcare settings or hospitals where patients may already have weakened immune systems due to existing conditions or treatments they are undergoing.
Professor Wood suggests wearing long cotton trousers when walking in tick infested areas like long grassland to help reduce chances of getting infected and emphasized taking necessary safety measures such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) if working around sick individuals or livestock animals as fatality rate from CCHF can reach up to 40%.
Symptoms usually appear abruptly with fever, chills shuddering myalgia headaches nausea abdominal pain arthralgia etc., but severely ill patients may experience sudden liver failure pulmonary failure after the fifth day followed by death occurring during the second week after infection.
