Üsküdar University NPİSTANBUL Hospital Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Specialist Dr. Dilek Leyla Mamçu gave information about Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever.
Mamçu said the following about the causative virus that causes Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, which is mainly found in wild animals and ticks and appears between May and September every year:
“A single-stranded RNA virus from the Nairovirus group of the Bunyaviridae family is the Crimean-Congo haemorrrhagic fever virus. The virus can be transmitted to rabbits, some birds, rodents, cattle, sheep and farm animals as a result of tick bites. However, ticks do not cause disease in animals and only affect humans. The virus that causes Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever is transmitted to humans mainly by the bite of a tick carrying the virus. Apart from this, it can also be transmitted by contact with the blood and tissues of animals (cattle, sheep, farm animals, etc.) carrying the virus. In addition, those who work in the area where ticks are found, picnickers, hunters, veterinarians, butchers and health workers fall into the risk group.
What are the Symptoms of the Disease?
Dr. Dilek Leyla Mamçu said the following about the symptoms of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever and the duration of the symptoms:
“The virus starts to show its symptoms in 1 to 3 days when it is taken with a tick bite, and between 3 and 13 days when it is taken through blood/tissue contact. Among the symptoms of the disease; fever, weakness, muscle pain, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea are found. Apart from skin and subcutaneous hemorrhages; Gum bleeding, nose bleeding, gastrointestinal bleeding, urinary tract bleeding, brain and intra-abdominal bleeding can also be seen. In the course of the disease with a more severe course, the symptoms become more severe; bleeding may be more prominent. Consciousness changes, kidney failure and coma and death may develop. The mortality rate of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is around 10 percent.”
Contagion to Healthcare Professionals
Mamçu, who stated that if a patient with CCHF has blood-secretion contact, needle sticking or mucous contact (eye, mouth, etc.), precautions should be taken, he listed the measures that can be taken to protect from Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Disease as follows:
“There is usually no mention of airborne transmission. However, universal precautions (gloves, apron, glasses, mask, etc.) must be taken during contact with the patient and the secretions of the patient. Contact with blood and body fluids should be avoided. In case of such a contact, the contact should be followed up for at least 14 days in terms of fever and other symptoms.
Necessary protective measures should also be taken during contact with animal blood, tissue or other body fluids of the animal.
Areas with ticks should be avoided as much as possible. In case of being in animal shelters or areas where ticks can live, the body should be examined for ticks at regular intervals; The ticks that are not attached to the body should be carefully collected and killed, while the ticks that do not adhere to the body should be removed without crushing and cutting the mouth of the tick.
When those who are in the waterside and grassland areas for picnic purposes return, they should definitely check them for ticks and if there are any ticks, they should be removed from the body duly. Avoid places with bushes, twigs and thick grass, and do not enter such places with bare feet or wearing short clothes. If possible, picnics should not be held in risky areas.
For those who have to be in the area, such as forestry workers, wearing rubber boots or putting their trousers in socks can be protective.
Animal owners should contact the local veterinary organization and spray their animals with suitable acaricides against ticks, animal shelters should be built in a way that does not allow ticks to live, cracks and crevices should be repaired and whitewashed. Animal shelters with ticks should be treated with appropriate acaricides.
Insect repellents known as repellents can be used with caution to protect both humans and animals from tick infestations. Repellents are substances prepared in the form of liquid, lotion, cream, fat or aerosol, and can be applied by applying to the skin or by absorbing into clothes. The same substances can be applied to the head or legs of animals; In addition, plastic strips impregnated with these substances may be attached to the ears or horns of animals.”
How to Remove a Tick from the Human Body?
Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Specialist Dr. Dilek Leyla Mamçu said that if there is a tick on the body, it should be removed with tweezers, by grasping the place where the tick attaches to the skin and moving it left and right as if pulling a nail. Mamçu explained the precautions that can be taken in case of ticks in the body as follows:
“Ticks on the body should not be killed or blasted.
In order to remove the ticks from the body, methods such as pressing cigarettes or pouring cologne and kerosene should not be used.
After the tick is removed from the body, the bite site should be cleaned with soap and water, and then wiped with an antiseptic.
In order to find out which type of tick it is, the tick can be placed in a glass tube and sent to the relevant institutions.
The sooner the tick is removed from the body, the lower the risk of disease.