Turkey battles biggest ever outbreak of Ebola-like disease
Turkey is battling the largest ever recorded outbreak of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, which has killed at least 20 people this year, and experts today said more cases of the Ebola-like disease are inevitable in coming months.
CCHF is primarily an animal disease, but can also affect humans. It is endemic in parts of Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe and is transmitted by ticks, which thrive on sheep and cattle.
Infected people can transmit the virus by blood, saliva or droplets from sneezing. The disease causes a sharp drop in platelets, which allow the blood to clot. Without rapid treatment by antivirus drugs and replacement of platelets, victims can bleed to death.
“We will unfortunately keep seeing cases at least until September, when the virus starts to slow down because of the cold weather,” said Dr Onder Ergonul, an associate professor at Marmara University, who has been involved with the government’s response to the outbreak.
Most of the cases have occurred in six provinces in the Black Sea and Central Anatolia region: Tokat, Sivas, Gumushane, Amasya, Yozagat and Corum.
Authorities at the World Health Organisation are awaiting further information from the Turkish government, including where the other cases have arisen. Turkish authorities say no cases have been reported in the tourist areas along the Mediterranean coast.
By August 4, the disease had caused 242 cases, including 20 deaths, making it the largest reported outbreak since it was first identified in 1944, authorities say.
Last week, a nurse treating Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever patients died after being infected accidentally by a needle. To date, four health care workers have been infected, though there have not been any reports of the virus spreading in hospitals.
“There have been large outbreaks of this virus before, but we are concerned about the size of this particular outbreak in Turkey,” said Dr Bernardus Ganter, the World Health Organisation’s Regional Advisor for Communicable Diseases in the European Region.
One of the reasons for the increased numbers, Ganter said, could be a more sophisticated detection system. Turkey’s first outbreak of the disease was in 2002, and surveillance has strengthened considerably since.
“We are reassured that the outbreak appears limited to only one part of Turkey, in Anatolia,” said Ergonul. More than 90% of cases have been reported in people who have had direct contact with animals, according to Ergonul.
In an attempt to control the outbreak, Turkish authorities have instituted stronger surveillance for the disease across the entire country, as well as attempting to educate the population about how they can minimise their risk of contracting the disease by avoiding contact with ticks.
Veterinarians and entomologists are also looking at ways to control the tick population.
With several previous outbreaks of the disease in recent years, Turkey has considerable expertise in treating patients.
WHO is awaiting more detailed information about the outbreak from Turkish authorities, and is ready to send teams to the region if requested to do so. Ganter, the WHO official, said the transmission season was expected to last until October.
