Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is a viral disease caused by infection with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) ^[1]. The available sources describe it as a severe tick-borne illness and note that it falls within the broader category of vector-borne emerging and re-emerging diseases ^[2][1]. The disease is recognized in surveillance contexts under ICD-10 A98.0 and ICD-11 1D60.0, but the provided evidence does not support additional definitional detail beyond this etiologic and epidemiologic characterization.

The sources characterize CCHF as severe and associate it with case-fatality rates of 30% or higher ^[1]. They also state that humans develop severe illness, whereas CCHFV can productively infect many animal species ^[1]. Subclinical human infections are noted to be underappreciated and may account for a substantial proportion of outcomes, but the provided material does not specify a complete symptom sequence, timing, hemorrhagic manifestations, or complication profile ^[1].

Reported cases occur throughout Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and southern and eastern Europe, indicating a broad and multi-regional distribution ^[1]. The expanding range of the Hyalomma tick vector is placing new populations at risk, and the disease is described as being reported annually ^[1]. More generally, the source literature on vector-borne disease emergence links appearance and re-emergence to interactions among pathogens, hosts, and the environment, as well as to human population growth, urbanization, globalization, trade, travel, and close interactions with livestock ^[2]. The provided material does not quantify incidence or burden beyond these qualitative statements ^[1][3].

CCHF is described as a tick-borne illness, with the Hyalomma tick vector specifically highlighted in relation to expanding risk ^[1]. The evidence provided does not further specify whether transmission is restricted to tick exposure or includes other routes, so additional mechanisms are not stated here ^[1].

The most clearly supported risk context is exposure in regions where Hyalomma ticks are present or expanding, because new populations are described as being placed at risk as the vector range grows ^[1]. The sources also associate emergence and re-emergence of vector-borne disease with close interactions with livestock and broader environmental and demographic change, but they do not define specific occupational or demographic risk groups for CCHF in the provided material ^[2].

The available sources support prevention framing around vector-risk reduction and surveillance of tick ecology, because control efforts are linked to the difficulty of controlling tick populations and to identifying areas of transmission risk ^[3]. The literature also notes that awareness of diseases transmitted by ticks in specific locations is important for detection and response as tick-transmitted pathogens emerge in new geographic regions ^[3]. No licensed vaccines or specific antivirals are available according to the cited source, but detailed public-health prevention measures are not further specified in the provided material ^[1].

For monitoring purposes, CCHF should be read as a high-consequence tick-borne viral disease with annual reporting and broad but shifting geographic distribution ^[1]. Surveillance interpretation should pay attention to the expansion of Hyalomma tick range and to the possibility that subclinical infection may be underrecognized, which can make the full burden difficult to estimate ^[1]. The provided literature also emphasizes that tick surveillance and tracking help identify areas of risk for disease transmission, and that underdiagnosis remains a challenge in tick-borne disease surveillance more broadly ^[3].

1. 1 Hawman DW et al. Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2023 Jul. PMID: 36918725. doi: 10.1038/s41579-023-00871-9. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36918725/
2. 2 Chala B et al. Emerging and Re-emerging Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases and the Challenges for Control: A Review. Front Public Health. 2021. PMID: 34676194. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.715759. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34676194/
3. 3 Madison-Antenucci S et al. Emerging Tick-Borne Diseases. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2020 Mar 18. PMID: 31896541. doi: 10.1128/CMR.00083-18. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31896541/
4. 4 Congo Fever — Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever. CRC Handbook of Viral and Rickettsial Hemorrhagic Fevers. 2019. doi: 10.1201/9780429276736-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429276736-9
5. 5 Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever. Feigin and Cherry's Textbook of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. 2025. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-323-82763-8.00205-3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-323-82763-8.00205-3
6. 6 Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever. Encyclopedia of Parasitology. 2016. doi: 10.1007/978-3-662-43978-4_731. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-43978-4_731

ICD-10

A98.0

ICD-11

1D60.0

Total cases

0

Peak month

2005-01

Coverage

1 reporting countries · 2005-01-01 → 2026-06-01