COVID-19 Coronavirus, H5N1 Avian Flu, Disease X and other virus UK and World News Update 20th December 2024
"We are currently seeing more norovirus cases than in any season since we started our current reporting system."
UK Health Security Agency (HSA)
Norovirus is a tummy bug that can be nasty. Always wash hands before touching food, don't cook for others if you are ill, wash soiled bedding and clothes at 60º and as always, stay home if you are ill.
UK HSA VirusWatch:
Flu activity has increased and is now at medium levels.
COVID19 activity decreased across all indicators and remains at baseline levels.
RSV activity decreased across most indicators and we are seeing less cases.
11,511 deaths were registered in England and Wales, week ending 6 Dec 2024 (Week 49):
· 8.0% lower than the expected number (998 fewer deaths)
· 14.5% involved influenza or pneumonia (1,671 deaths)
· 1.0% involved COVID19 (118 deaths)
UK public are being asked to only go to A&E at hospital if you really need to. If in doubt or you've got plenty of time to think about it, call 111 and get further advice. They will triage over the phone and send you for the correct help. If someone is seriously ill or injured, deteriorating rapidly, shows signs of stroke or heart attack, or a life is in danger, call 999 as an emergency.
Lets get the bigger stories out of the way early - the mystery Congo illness, and bird flu...
Premature news from Congo Health Ministry regarding mystery Disease X:
"The mystery has finally been solved. It's a case of severe malaria in the form of a respiratory illness."
The world waited on confirmation from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and on Thursday we got something else via Africa CDC:
"There are 2 working diagnoses for the mystery disease in DRC’s Kwanzo province. The 1st suggests severe malaria compounded by malnutrition & a viral infection. The 2nd points to a viral infection occurring alongside malaria & malnutrition."
NOT simply a super deadly malaria, but a mix of 3 things. They haven't commented further on which viral infection is to blame, or whether it is a specific virus (e.g. flu), or an unknown virus, so the mystery isn't quite 'solved' just yet.
As of 14th December, 592 cases reported with 37 confirmed deaths and 44 deaths under investigation (even 37 deaths is a fatality rate of 6.2%. This is incredibly high, over 6x the average for malaria). 181 samples from 51 cases were tested. Malaria lab testing was 25/29 positive, rapid Malaria testing was 55/88 positive. More testing is underway.
WHO has been distributing antimalarial drugs and health kits for severely ill patients all week, as well as Oxygen concentrators, lab supplies, rapid malaria tests & essential medicines.
My thoughts very much with all of those families who have lost people.
USAID (United States Agency for International Development) data shows the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has the 2nd highest number of malaria cases and deaths in the world, and malaria is the leading cause of death. DRC reports more than 27 million cases and 24,000 losses of life every year.
A 3rd Italian who recently returned from DRC with the same 'Disease X' symptoms has died. 55-year-old entrepreneur Andrea Poloni died at home in Veneto from a fever with bleeding without seeking medical attention.
The president of the Lazio Region Francesco RoccaIt reported the news:
"Not all the tests have been completed yet, but the first findings point to a case of malaria and not to unknown viruses. Obviously the tests need to be further investigated and further checks are underway."
It only took another 24 hours before we were informed tests had ruled out the presence of other viral-bacterial co-infections. A really nasty malaria seems to be it, and no-one is suspecting Mr Poloni was malnourished, nor was he a tiny child.
It is rare for Malaria to cause bleeding, but can happen in very severe cases, particularly from the gums, nose and gastrointestinal tract (mouth, stomach, bowels etc).
Trawling through all available news from DRC I found on 5th December the provincial Minister of Health, Apollinaire Yumba Tiabakwau, told Radio Okapi:
"Now, when the team came down yesterday, along the way, they found in a village where the medical team and civil society reported at least 20 deaths. And in another village that wasn't counted in the same period, they found at least 40 deaths, plus the 4 that were added today. That's 131 deaths today."
You really can't go by official hospital numbers for DRC.
On 13th December Al Jazeera reported from DRC. In some cases initially people assumed malaria or Typhoid Fever, and cases had been reported from 8 of the 30 health areas in Panzi health zone.
An anonymous 'local health expert' suggested the illness could be zoonotic (animal to human):
“Most of the people I’ve interviewed personally admit to having been in contact with certain wild animals a few days before falling ill.”
Wild animal contact is not actually rare or surprising in such a rural, poor community, and where animals are, so are mosquitoes - the carriers for malaria.
Because of the potential threat from H5N1 Avian Flu the UK government has announced they've ordered more than 5 million doses of human H5 influenza vaccine. These will be manufactured by UK based healthcare company CSL Seqirus UK Limited.
UKHSA (Health Security Agency) have requested flu tests for anyone admitted to hospital with acute respiratory problems or flu symptoms. Any positive Influenza A samples will be sent for further testing to rule out H5N1.
Good to see we are moving on H5N1, because this train does appear to be coming, and we aren’t going to be able to stop it once it starts rolling. Fingers crossed it's the far less dangerous conjunctivitis version...
And here is that train...
California's Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency due to H5N1 Avian Flu. Until now all affected dairy farms were in the central area, but on 12th December, despite best efforts to prevent spread, 4 dairy farms in the South returned positive tests in cattle.
California has tried really hard with dairy herds (as have lots of farmers around the USA), bringing in all kinds of biosecurity measures, so questions are being asked - is there a way this is transmitting which we just don't know about?
659 of California's 1,100 dairies have now tested positive for H5N1, and 34 Californians (33 farmworkers) have been infected.
“This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak. Building on California’s testing and monitoring system — the largest in the nation — we are committed to further protecting public health, supporting our agriculture industry, and ensuring that Californians have access to accurate, up-to-date information. While the risk to the public remains low, we will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of this virus.”
Latest H5N1 stats for the USA outbreak (via APHIS):
Last 30 days 263 new cattle herds confirmed infected from 3 states.
Total cattle herds infected 875 across 16 states.
(Also 1 alpaca and 1 pig herd.)
In the last few days Louisiana, Wisconsin and Delaware have all reported their first human cases of H5N1 bird flu.
The Wisconsin patient is linked to poultry, the Delaware patient has no known exposure to infected animals or birds, and the Louisiana patient is the one which is most worrying at this point. This person was cleaning up from an outbreak in backyard poultry. They are over age 65 with health conditions that make them high risk for flu, but are the first in the US in this outbreak to become critically ill (although we won't forget the Canadian teenager, who last we knew was 'very sick' but stable).
The current total infected US humans in this outbreak via the CDC is now 61. (Dairy cows 37, poultry farms 21, backyard flock 1 and unknown 2.)
BNO News have a more frequently updated tracker based on local news reports and have the total at 69 (unknown 3).
All but 1 had/have mild illness with conjunctivitis, and have recovered/are recovering. Severely ill H5N1 patients have deep lung infections, which historically is much more common with human bird flu cases and has a 1 in 2 mortality rate (total human bird flu 984 cases, 470 deaths - case fatality rate 48%).
In the last week several major publications have run opinion pieces from scientists who believe H5N1 is "coming for humans".
HPAI H5N1 (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza variant H5N1) made the leap to mammals a long while ago now. The first cases were detected in birds in 1996, and 18 humans were infected in 1997. From then on individual cases and small outbreaks have popped up fairly regularly, mainly connected to farmed birds.
In 2020 H5N1 inside a sick bird mixed with wild bird viruses (reassortment, gene swapping) creating variant 'clade 2.3.4.4b', and everything changed. Migratory wild birds could spread it far more efficiently than any other method.
In May 2021 HPAI H5N1 was found in foxes in the Netherlands, and by December in foxes in Estonia. In Spring 2022 it was infecting, and more importantly spreading between, sea lions. More animals followed - seals, bobcat, lynx, otter, raccoon dog, mink etc etc. By December 2023 even animals at both poles had been infected (polar bears and fur seals). In March 2024 we saw another change. Farmed goats and cows.
After an outbreak believed caused by migratory birds, 5 animals died last week at Wildlife World Zoo in Arizona. A cheetah, mountain lion, kookaburra, swamp hen and Indian goose. This is not the first zoo outbreak. 47 tigers, 3 lions and a panther died in zoos in South Vietnam earlier this year.
H5N1 has managed to spread to, and between, mammals. We are seeing more human cases as time goes on. We are randomly testing and finding people who never even knew they'd had it. We are finding cases with mutations that make H5N1 much more human-friendly, much more transmissible, much more catchy. We are constantly expecting to discover human-to-human spread. Each time a person catches H5N1 we roll that dice. Even if your dice has 1,000 sides, eventually you will roll a 6. Bird flu is almost certainly coming for humans.
When H5N1 manages human to human spread, it will most likely be mild cases who are leaving the house and mixing with others, and we can keep our fingers crossed that it only causes mild illness. No promises though. So far everyone we believe infected by cattle has mild illness, but we don’t know why. No-one as yet understands why the Canadian teenager or Louisiana patient have become very ill, when 21 other Americans who were infected with the poultry/wild bird strain had mild illness. It could be to do with how it enters the body, how much is inhaled, what other viruses someone has been in contact with, an as-yet-unknown vulnerability, or something else entirely.
Two Los Angeles cats have died after drinking H5N1 contaminated raw milk. The 2 indoor cats became ill with lack of appetite, fever and neurologic signs, worsened and died. Both tested positive for Influenza A, a rare result in cats, and further tests confirmed H5N1.
Two cats from a different Los Angeles household have died from suspected H5 bird flu after eating raw meat. A 3rd cat is sick and has tested positive for Influenza A.
Cats have become ill and died from H5N1 before, including 38/40 who ate raw duck meat in South Korea, and 12 at a single infected dairy farm in Texas. Cats do not do well with bird flu.
Pigs have always been the mammal scientists have worried about most regarding catching H5N1, but recent autopsies on cats have found they also have the correct receptors needed to catch bird virus AND mammal virus, and could act as a mixing vessel for a recombinant of the two. The CDC is now telling people to be cautious around sick cats, especially cats which have killed or eaten birds (and presumably mice, as they can also catch bird flu).
There is no evidence to suggest any cat to human infection at this point.
Meanwhile, the California Department of Food and Agriculture have recalled raw milk from a 2nd supplier - Valley Milk Simply Bottled - due to bulk tanker tests proving positive for H5N1.
The public are reminded that regular store-bought milk is pasteurised, and meat should be cooked through - both of which kill H5N1 (tests have proven it's 100% dead by 60ºC/140-145ºF/medium steak). Don't eat or drink raw meat or milk, and don't feed it to your pets, it really is not worth it.
7 more US states will take part in USDA's mandatory bulk milk tank testing program looking for H5N1 bird flu in dairy cow herds. Indiana, Maryland, Montana, New York, Ohio, Vermont & Washington will join California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon, and Pennsylvania in regular testing.
Back in 2020 a scientific paper led some to believe anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine was a useful COVID treatment, including Donald Trump. Most leading scientists objected. That paper has now been retracted "because of ethical concerns and methodological problems".
Only 36 people were studied and 6 of them dropped out - 2 because they were moved to intensive care and 1 because they died - so the end results looked far better than the reality. Different standards of PCR test were used for patients who did or didn’t take hydroxychloroquine, peer-review was a staggeringly short 4 days, and no study since (there have been loads!) has ever found any benefit to COVID patients.
Worst of all, some patients given hydroxychloroquine suffered heart attacks as a side effect.
3 of the study authors themselves are amongst those who raised concerns, the retraction states they “no longer wish to see their names associated with the article".
A study released last week (Mukherjee et al) found that while vaccinations reduce the chances of severe COVID infection and all that brings with it, they DO NOT reduce the chances of "subsequent neurologic manifestations of Long COVID". Darn shame...
Whenever you catch COVID, however many times you've been vaccinated and however ill you are at the time, you will always risk long term symptoms of brain fog, anxiety, headaches, numbness and tingling, dizziness, anosmia or dysgeusia (changes to smell or taste) and other symptoms which affect the brain, spinal cord and nerves.
David Tennant has been playing Macbeth in London's West End, and several shows had to be cancelled in November due to "company illness". In response the campaign group, Protect the Heart of the Arts, handed out face masks and COVID tests before the penultimate performance last Friday.
Tel Aviv University’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences and Florindo’s lab at the University of Lisbon have developed a new nasal vaccine for COVID. As effective as Pfizer's vaccine it works against all common COVID-19 variants, and is stored as a powder which is mixed with simple saline, so it doesn't need expensive refrigeration.
Surely this has to be the (not too distant) future... we've already waited far too long for cheap nasal COVID vaccines to be widely available.
The Marburg epidemic in Rwanda was declared officially over today, with no new cases reported over the last 42 days after the last patient tested negative for the virus twice.
Since it began on 27th September 2024 66 confirmed cases and 15 deaths were recorded. Almost 80% of cases were among health workers, infected while providing clinical care to their colleagues and other patients.
After a survey earlier this year discovered 27% of UK NHS GPs don't know very much about Long COVID, and 9% of respondents with Long COVID said they'd been told they had "anxiety", Long COVID SOS, Clinical Post COVID Society and Royal College of General Practitioners have created a new, revised and updated leaflet for GPs.
"It provides a comprehensive, easy reference to help doctors recognise, diagnose and identify treatments for Long Covid" and can be downloaded free of charge at longcovidsos dot org/gp-leaflet
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves has appointed Tom Hayhoe as COVID Counter-Fraud Commissioner. His job will be to "use every means possible to recoup public money lost in pandemic-related fraud and contracts that have not delivered", and he'll be starting by focussing on PPE procurement (hurrah!), and then other COVID schemes including Furlough, Grants, and Bounce Back Loans.
Happy Christmas Michelle Mone, ya filthy animal...
Some good news for DRC. 3 million single-jab doses of Mpox vaccines suitable for children are due to arrive this week and begin rolling out immediately to pre-school infants and children. 80% of those dying from Mpox in DRC are children, so these vaccines, kindly donated by Japan, will help protect some of the most vulnerable little humans in the world.
You've heard of the disease COVID 19, you should know the virus causing it SARS-COV-2 and you might know that's short for 'severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2', but you've probably never heard of 'Betacoronavirus Pandemicum'.
In 2016 it was suggested viruses were given standardised Latin-based names the same as plants and animals, in 2020 it was all agreed, and The U.S. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) has announced it will be adding about 3000 of the new names to its databases next Spring. (It's not April Fools Day, this is real.)
Researchers' opinions are varied, with some thinking standardisation is sensible to avoid confusion and stigma (e.g. when virus are named after places, animals or people) and others say it's pompous.
Either way, I can't see many people calling HIV 'Lentivirus humimdef1'...
In October 2023 a family trip from London to Birmingham with 2 unvaccinated children began the worst UK measles outbreak in 10 years. Only 76% of children in Birmingham were fully vaccinated, and by
January the West Midlands had almost 300 reported cases and 50 children in hospital.
Christmas is a time for sharing, but there are some gifts no-one wants. If you aren't well it's better to delay for a few days than regret a visit. No-one knows what you might have incubating in your body, so play it safe. Ventilate rooms regularly, don't cough over the cheeseboard, and wash your hands before you rake through the lebkuchen.
It's nearly Christmas, there's a lot of joy to be had, but it is still an especially hard time of year for many people. It is stressful, expensive, hard work, and a time we all reflect on our lives. It is a time we feel loss. My family has a forever 16 year old who is always in our thoughts and actions, but the empty space she left in our family is so much bigger at Christmas.
If you are struggling for any reason, you aren’t on your own, so please don't be on your own unless that's what you really want. There is still time to volunteer to help others, and there is still time to reach out and ask for help yourself. There will always be time to call friends or family and ask if it's okay you pop by for an hour.
If you are coping well with the festive season, your job is to check in on someone else.
Almost the end of the year - and you've probably spent it looking after other people. Give yourself a pat on the back and make sure you have something nice arranged for yourself. Crikey have you earned it! Thank you for reading, commenting and making all of this work worth doing. I appreciate every one of you, and I will be back next year!
To you and your loved ones, from me and mine, I wish you the very best festivities you can have, and a peaceful 2025. Happy Christmas to all, and to all, a good night...
Ventilate Often, Look After Your Mental Health, Save The NHS!
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Sources:
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/
https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
WHO Flu image
https://x.com/WHOWPRO/status/1868577270300029144?t=A13ujKT_fIox_F8_Z5KIYw&s=09
Repeat prescription image
https://x.com/NHSuk/status/1868648577838248441?t=MV2TZrP3zJ8JMvr_1ZBPXw&s=19
Images WHO AMR
https://x.com/WHO/status/1858445157370138805?t=SGd_OqNCZfjqo2PzIt3wZg&s=09
California state of emergency declaration in full images
https://x.com/luckytran/status/1869481944297193863?t=dWS2NS5JiDpw6zVsBoy8JA&s=09
With image Africa CDC
https://x.com/AfricaCDC/status/1869775387321909461?t=IZPzx7zvfxq3VCAW-K1Liw&s=09
Virus watch images
https://x.com/UKHSA/status/1869744942719160604?t=HwLzVTaBwhaXI85UOR-mzQ&s=09
Overall
https://x.com/UKHSA/status/1869744955163656331?t=0UW5lOenRfBiXzCeuZMlPQ&s=19
And norovirus with image
https://x.com/UKHSA/status/1869690660955312474?t=1Gna-ETphYp1A_suAgSmxg&s=19
Uk Flu image
https://x.com/NHSEngland/status/1869711825626952006?t=PQqbWmX8Eu3TtKMpNhdeig&s=09
https://ourworldindata.org/historical-pandemics
UKHSA latest stats UK
Norovirus
UK Norovirus
Latest UK stats deaths and hospitals
https://x.com/ONS/status/1869318807837458796?t=I-BWp5pmOj36TJSH6Ir9dQ&s=09
A&E woes
Disease X is Severe Malaria
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/congos-health-ministry-says-unknown-disease-is-severe-malaria-2024-12-17/?utm_source=reddit.com
https://x.com/BNOFeed/status/1869017531371208715?t=V_93DX49JIpx-ZqqrkQaxw&s=19
https://x.com/danwalker9999/status/1869032295061139559?t=nZZ9Q8cBa5fezcBWvlMqnw&s=19
Italian Andrea Poloni
https://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2024/12/17/news/rientra_dal_congo_muore_febbre_emorragica-423892610/?ref=RHLF-BG-P1-S1-T1
Update - only Malaria
Haemorrhage not usually a symptom of Malaria
Haematological abnormalities and coagulopathy are the common complications which occur in malaria. Very rarely does malaria present with overt bleeding.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0166685124000288
UPDATE FROM AFRICA CDC
Africa CDC
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/undiagnosed-disease-congo-linked-malaria-africa-cdc/story?id=116939557
Who delivering supplies to DRC
https://x.com/WHOAFRO/status/1869774943170208148?t=RdFdGWTlUy8LF6ka6_a19w&s=09
Disease X in Democratic Republic of Congo
5th December report from Radio Okapi - 7 cases, 3 deaths in Kwilu
https://www.radiookapi.net/2024/12/05/actualite/sante/kwilu-3-deces-dune-maladie-similaire-au-monkey-pox-bagata
Recap CONGO
https://www.reddit.com/r/congovirus/s/QIMu4dj3tv
13th December Al Jazeera
15th Dec Disease X round up - no new news
5m H5 bird flu vaccines for UK
https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2024/12/03/what-is-bird-flu-and-how-are-we-protecting-people-against-it-in-the-uk/
https://x.com/UKHSA/status/1863929057705947199?t=zh2TYMVzbkwLOF6aLonNpQ&s=09
Official declaration of California state of emergency.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/18/health/bird-flu-emergency-california.html?unlocked_article_code=1.iU4.ysdz.djsi6rzrBFXB&smid=url-share&s=09
How is H5N1 spreading between cow herds? Something we don't know?
H5N1 Cats
Cats in L.A. County die after drinking recalled raw milk - Los Angeles Times
Cats raw milk official word
Cats may carry bird flu
H5N1 cats.further info
https://archive.ph/7qlPF
Cats can be the new pigs
https://www.reddit.com/r/ContagionCuriosity/s/eGczGpcTzf
Raw meat cats
https://x.com/BNOFeed/status/1869508215249195319?t=8Z6__xBSi-e91fNYTiL8aw&s=09
H5N1 Milk recalled from 2nd supplier
https://x.com/HelenBranswell/status/1868787209286943084?t=YDX9ZgDrso2v9-7XFK2Low&s=09
Raw farms quote re antibodies
CDC bird flu current situation page
APHIS situation update
Bno human H5N1 tracker
Bird flu in humans
Louisiana Friday 13th
California reported 2 more cases today. National total this year 60, maybe 61
https://bsky.app/profile/helenbranswell.bsky.social/post/3ld7korpmsc2l
Louisiana CDC first seriously ill american
PDATE: Louisiana's human bird flu case is in critical condition with severe respiratory illness
https://x.com/BNOFeed/status/1869527773397832142?t=B0YTvDbeqhCdNgKgxJ9L1Q&s=09
Louisiana
Wisconsin reports its first human case of H5N1 bird flu, linked to poultry
https://x.com/BNOFeed/status/1869479308575809852?t=bOZLYR0sppzA9xF1usM4dw&s=09
Delaware 1st case human H5N1
Two human cases confirmed in San Joaquin County. farmworkers with known exposure to infected animals.
There are 34 confirmed human cases in California,
Canadian teen
Bird flu is coming
Bird flu is a real pandemic threat. Are we prepared for the worst? | Devi Sridhar | The Guardian
How Close Is A New Bird Flu Pandemic | Christina Pagel | Substack
Bird flu is coming for humans | Peter Chin-Hong | LA Times
Two ways bird flu could cause a pandemic | Fred Guterl | Nat Geo
Animals die at zoo from H5N1
https://www.reddit.com/r/H5N1_AvianFlu/s/sowTcvvJh0
https://www.instagram.com/p/DDr1wT3v7QF/?igsh=Mmh0Z3ZuZDF6ZG5p
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/03/vietnam-bird-flu-outbreak-tiger-deaths-my-quynh-safari-vuon-xoai-zoo
H5N1 effect on wild animals and birds
New bird flu strain in Iowa
https://www.reddit.com/r/H5N1_AvianFlu/s/K0OLuHLxEx
The emergence of D158N and N193K mutations in H5N1 near Poyang Lake has shifted the virus into a dangerous new phase.
It’s transforming it from a pathogen primarily infecting birds into a credible threat to human populations
"A new study suggests #H5N1 #birdflu circulating in cows might have an easier path to adapting to humans than previous versions of the virus. One mutation changed the receptors to which the virus binds from those in birds to those found in human upper airways. "
https://x.com/HelenBranswell/status/1864751323985645695?t=t-wiQEOZm1dUBBA9PIxeCQ&s=09
History of H5N1
Bulk milk testing H5N1
Hydroxychloroquine
scim.ag/4iR9bQ6
Retraction
French retraction statement
https://bsky.app/profile/science.org/post/3ldj4l3gue22j
Neurological Long Covid and vaccination
https://bsky.app/profile/inkblue01.bsky.social/post/3ldbwelajkc2c
Marburg in Rwanda over
https://x.com/DrTedros/status/1870133498100527239
Macbeth
Needle-Free: New Nano-Vaccine Effective Against All COVID-19 Variants
GP Leaflet
https://bsky.app/profile/longcovidsos.bsky.social/post/3lcxm5avbv22h
Covid Counter-Fraud
Children's Mpox vaccines arrive in Congo this week from Japan
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-12-13/children-s-mpox-shots-arriving-as-congo-fights-mystery-disease
Orthoflavivirus nilense - West Nile virus
Orthobunyavirus squalofluvii - Shark River virus
dengue viruses or Orthoflavivirus denguei
Latinised naming conventions for virus
Measles
https://x.com/TelGlobalHealth/status/1864689089292677370?t=q9GVXAXhIkd7z_eysRL2BQ&s=09
_______________
The Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus causes severe viral haemorrhagic fever outbreaks.
CCHF outbreaks have a case fatality rate of up to 40%.
The virus is primarily transmitted to people from ticks and livestock animals. Human-to-human transmission can occur resulting from close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected persons.
CCHF is endemic in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and Asia, in countries south of the 50th parallel north.
There is no vaccine available for either people or animals. (Although an inactivated, mouse brain-derived vaccine against CCHF has been developed and used on a small scale in eastern Europe, there is currently no safe and effective vaccine widely available for human use.)
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/crimean-congo-haemorrhagic-fever
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