Fever That Can Bleed You To Death Detected In Iraq, Country Put On High Alert
At a time when the world is in the grip of the deadly COVID-19 virus infection, an outbreak of a fever that can cause people to bleed to death has emerged from Iraq. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the disease called the Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) has claimed 19 deaths among 111 cases this year. According to the experts, the virus has no vaccine as of now, and the onset can be swift, leading to severe bleeding both internally and externally and especially from the nose. It causes death in as many as two-fifths of cases. Let's know more about this virus and the symptoms it can cause.
First detected in 1944, the Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever is a tick-borne virus which has a fatality rate of up to 30 per cent. "Animals become infected by the bite of infected ticks," said the World Health Organization. It further added, "The CCHF virus is transmitted to people either by tick bites or through contact with infected animal blood or tissues during and immediately after slaughter."
Experts say that it is because the virus infected individuals can experience fever and severe bleeding which can lead to sudden death. This rare nose-bleed fever is a viral disease which is usually transmitted by ticks and livestock animals such as cattle, sheep and goats. According to the experts, the virus infection is caused by a tick-borne virus (Nairovirus) of the Bunyaviridae family. Experts also say that the domestic animals can become infected by the bite of infected ticks and the virus can remain in their bloodstream for about one week after infection.
The virus is a tick-borne infection which is transmitted to people through bites or through direct contact with infected animal blood or tissue (mainly happens during slaughtering). In layman's terms, the Human-to-human transmission of CCHF can result from close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of an infected person. This can get triggered by some habits including - improper sterilization of medical equipment, reuse of needles and contamination of medical supplies.
Experts have stated that after contracting the virus, around three to seven days for the person to show up the symptoms. On about the fourth day after getting infected, an individual may notice large areas of severe bruising developing along with heavy nosebleeds and uncontrolled bleeding at injection sites. This phase lasts for about two weeks.
Patients who contract this infection are mostly asymptomatic (more than 80 per cent, are asymptomatic or mild). Some of the symptoms associated Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever are -
However, in severe cases, a patient may also experience symptoms like -
