What is Congo Crimea hemorrhagic fever, infection and symptoms
Today we have seen the case of a man who died of hemorrhagic fever in Crimea Congo on August 25, after he apparently received the sting of a tick when taking a walk through the countryside in Castilla y León, after confirmation by the General Directorate of Public Health of the Ministry of Health of the Community of Madrid.
According to information provided by the Health Department of Madrid, the man died at the Gregorio Marañón Hospital after being treated initially at the Hospital Infanta Leonor.
And, as we have learned, there is a second hospitalized patient who is in solitary confinement. It's about the nurse who treated the man, and who apparently also is affected by the Congo hemorrhagic fever. In addition to other 190 people who may have been in contact with the two affected.
As the specialists declare, not only would we find ourselves in the first case of autochthonous contagion (of transmission of the tick virus to humans) that occurs in Spain, but it occurs precisely in Europe.
But it's really about weird cases that occur rarely in the world, given that usually tick bites are harmless on most occasions.
What are ticks?
The ticks they are small creatures, which are also known by the name of ixodoideos. They are considered as the largest mites, and there are two main families: the family Ixodiae (or hard tick, the best known because it is the one that attacks the human being), and the family Argasidae (or soft tick).
We find them regularly in the tall grass, especially at the ends of the leaves, where they wait in order to get hooked to that animal that passes by them. That is to say, the method of transmission consists basically of direct contact, since ticks do not move by jumping as they are mistakenly believed.
After being transmitted, it tends to move until it reaches a hot and humid place on the body. That is why we can easily find them in the hair, the groin or the armpits. And, when it arrives at the chosen place, they use their tipped appendages to pierce the skin and start sucking blood.
As you feed your body begins to swell, and secretes a kind of glue that sticks to the host to try to continue feeding to the fullest.
So far the bite of a tick is not a major problem. Unless it contains bacteria that eventually pass to the host, cause certain diseases among which is the hemorrhagic fever.
What is Congo Crimea hemorrhagic fever?
The hemorrhagic fevers (medically known with the exact name of viral hemorrhagic fevers, FHV), consist of a group of diseases caused by viruses belonging to different families.
Among these diseases we can find Ebola, Lassa fever, Marburg haemorrhagic fever, hemorrhagic dengue or Korean fever. On this occasion the man died by the hemorrhagic fever Crimea Congo, another of the diseases caused by this family of viruses.
Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever is caused by a Nairovirus, and is considered a serious illness, which can reach a mortality rate of 40% (ranges between 10% and 40%).
How is the disease spread?
It is a type of disease that can spread in two ways: on the one hand it can spread naturally from vertebrate animals to humans (for example, through livestock). On the other, it can spread effectively from the bite of an insect, as is the case with the tick.
Also, according to the World Health Organization itself, it is a type of disease that can be transmitted between people in direct contact with blood, secretions, body fluids and organs.
What are your symptoms?
After the sting of a tick The incubation phase lasts between 1 to 3 days, reaching a maximum of 9 days.
The symptoms start suddenly, especially in the form of fever, muscle aches, neck pain and stiffness, headache, lumbago, eye irritation and hypersensitivity to light.
At the beginning it tends to be common that there is a sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pains. Then, after 2 to 4 days, the agitation may give way to weakness, depression and drowsiness.
Other symptoms also occur, such as increased heart rate, swollen lymph nodes, and skin rash on internal mucous membranes (skin, mouth, and throat).
In very serious patients Sudden hepatic or pulmonary failure may occur (especially after the fifth day of illness), in addition to a rapid renal deterioration. This article is published for informational purposes only. It can not and should not replace the consultation with a Physician. We advise you to consult your Trusted Doctor. ThemesFever
