Crimea Congo hemorrhagic virus spreads through Spain

The viral hemorrhagic fevers (FHV) are a group of diseases that can be deadly and that they are caused by viruses belonging to different families: arenaviruses, filoviruses, bunyaviruses, togaviruses and flaviviruses. To them belongs the fever of Crimea Congowhich until now was considered something very exotic in Spain. But it turns out that it is more widespread in our country than previously thought, and all this thanks to a transmitting agent: the tick.

A recent study of National Center for Microbiology confirms that the Crimean Congo virus has been detected in five autonomous communities.

The first case, from 2013

The first reported case in Spain dates from 2013, but there is very little data. On 2016the virus was identified in one patient and in the nurse who had treated him.

After the analysis of 12,000 ticksthe Crimea Congo has been detected in Andalusia, Extremadura, Madrid, Castilla y León and Castilla-La Mancha. Ticks from Murcia have also been studied, without positive results, although their existence cannot be ruled out.

At the same time, researchers from Córdoba are drawing up a map of exposure to the hemorrhagic virus in deer. They have identified areas of potential risk: rural areas of the provinces of Cádiz, Salamanca, Cáceres and Badajoz and certain points in Galicia and Catalonia.The symptoms

The symptom of this disease begin suddenly, in the form of fever, muscle pain, dizziness, neck pain and stiffness, lumbago, headache, eye irritation and photophobia. There may be nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal and throat pain at first, followed by mood swings and confusion.