A man has died in Spain after being bitten by a tick carrying the deadly Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) virus.
The 74-year-old contracted the disease after being bitten in Buenasbodas, Toledo.
He died in an isolated unit at the La Paz-Carlos III hospital on Saturday, July 20.
It came just 24 hours after he was admitted, complaining of tiredness.
He had been bitten by a tick a few days prior while spending some time at his second home.
The day after his death, the Public Health Rapid Alert System (SARSP) activated an alert for suspected Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever.
Samples were sent to the National Microbiology Center, where scientists confirmed the Crimean-Congo infection.
CCHF is a viral disease that is generally transmitted by ticks, specifically by a special type called ‘Hyalomma’, of African origin.
The symptoms of this disease appear in two phases: the first phase begins with a sudden fever, headache and muscle pain, and the second, haemorrhaging, or bleeding, which is the most serious and when it can be transmitted more easily.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) explains: “Onset of symptoms is sudden and can include fever, muscle ache, dizziness, neck pain, backache, headache, sore eyes and photophobia (sensitivity to light).
“There may be nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and sore throat early on, followed by sharp mood swings and confusion.
“After 2–4 days the agitation may be replaced by sleepiness, depression and lassitude, and the abdominal pain may localise to the upper right quadrant, with detectable hepatomegaly (liver enlargement).”
It adds: “Other clinical signs include tachycardia (fast heart rate), lymphadenopathy (enlarged lymph nodes), and a petechial rash (a rash caused by bleeding into the skin) on internal mucosal surfaces, such as in the mouth and throat, and on the skin.
“The petechiae may give way to larger rashes called ecchymoses, and other haemorrhagic phenomena.
“There is usually evidence of hepatitis, and severely ill patients may experience rapid kidney deterioration, sudden liver failure or pulmonary failure after the fifth day of illness.”
Cases of CCHF are increasing in Europe although the disease is not yet endemic in Spain.
However scientists are monitoring ticks and the number of cases more closely.
