Assessment of patients with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever admitted in Amir-Almomenin Hospital of Zabol from 2003 to 2005

Background. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a viral hemorrhagic fever of the Nairovirus group. Although primarily a zoonosis, sporadic cases and outbreaks of CCHF affecting humans do occur. The disease is endemic in many countries in Africa, Europe and Asia. Onset of symptoms is sudden, with fever, myalgia, dizziness, neck pain and stiffness, backache, headache, sore eyes and photophobia. There may be nausea, vomiting and sore throat early on, which may be accompanied by diarrhea and generalised abdominal pain. IgG and IgM antibodies may be detected in serum by ELISA. This study was performed to evaluate the patients with CCHF disease who admitted in Amir-Almomenin Hospital of Zabol. Material & Methods. This is a cross sectional study. Medical records of CCHF patients who admitted in Amir-Almomenin Hospital of Zabol were assessed. The results were analyzed with SPSS (ver. 14) software. Results. 65 patients were enrolled in this study from 2003 to 2005. 52 (80%) were male and 13 (20%) were female. Five patients were died (mortality rate = 8%). Signs and symptoms were fever (98.4%), headache (80%), myalgia (72.3%), nausea & vomiting (60%), abdominal pain (49.2%), skin rash (13.8%), and splenomegaly (4%). Lab. Findings were included thrombocytopenia (100%), leucopenia (70.7%), and anemia (20%). Discussion. CCHF is a known disease in this region of IRAN. Suspected cases admit in hospital and diagnostic tests and therapeutic measures are performed immediately thus mortality rate of our study (8%) was lower than similar studies. The number of male patient (52) was greater than female patient (13) and this may be due to employment contacts. In our experience, fever and headache were common symptoms. In endemic area of CCHF disease, if we see a patient with fever, headache and history of animal contact, we should think about CCHF. This virus can spread from patient to HCWs, thus universal precautions must be perform in hospitalized patients. There is no effective vaccine for this disease. Control of ticks is important for prevention of disease. Agricultural workers and others working with animals should use insect repellent on exposed skin and clothing.