A 74-year-old man in Spain has succumbed to Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, an Ebola-like disease, after a tick bite.
According to CNN, he died from organ failure on Saturday in the La Paz-Carlos III Hospital’s isolation unit in Madrid, as confirmed by a hospital spokesperson on Monday.
CCHF triggers severe viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks akin to Ebola, with initial symptoms such as sudden fever, chills, vomiting, and diarrhea, followed by mood swings and confusion.
The disease also causes bleeding, including nose bleeds, broken capillaries in the eyes, skin rash due to bleeding, and signs of internal bleeding like blood in urine or stools.
Prevention and treatment of CCHF are challenging, with no available vaccine and a mortality rate up to 40%, according to the World Health Organization.
The disease primarily spreads through ticks and contact with infected livestock blood or tissue, but human-to-human transmission is also possible.
The man sought medical help on July 19 in Móstoles, reporting fever and general malaise after a tick bite in Buenasbodas, Toledo province.
Health authorities confirmed his CCHF infection on July 21, and he was transferred to La Paz-Carlos III Hospital’s isolation unit that day. Although initially reported in stable condition, he passed away a week later.
WHO notes that death usually occurs in the second week of illness, while those who recover typically see symptom improvement around nine to ten days after falling ill.
Endemic regions for CCHF include Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East, and parts of Asia south of the 50th parallel, according to WHO.
Director of the Canary Islands Institute of Tropical Disease and Public Health at the University of La Laguna, Jacob Lorenzo-Morales, stated that Spain detected its first CCHF case in 2016, with one to three confirmed cases annually in central and western regions since then.
Cases generally appear between April and August, linked to tick activity, which has increased due to climate change.
Spain has a national plan for tick-borne diseases, including CCHF.
Lorenzo-Morales advised precautions to avoid tick bites: wearing long sleeves and trousers in light colors, boots or closed shoes with trousers tucked into socks, and using tick repellent.
“CCHF is an emerging disease present in all of Western Europe,” he said.
A medical parasitology lecturer at the University of Alcalá in Madrid, Consuelo Giménez Pardo, predicted more CCHF cases in Spain due to its tick-friendly climate and migratory birds carrying ticks between Europe and Africa.
Despite CCHF’s potential for human-to-human transmission through infected fluids, she noted it is asymptomatic in up to 90% of cases, with most people experiencing mild symptoms.
“One case is considered an outbreak,” she added.
Professor Emma Thomson of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine expressed concern over the case and the detection of CCHF in ticks in Spain and France, predicting more cases in the coming years and potential spread to other European countries, including the UK.
