Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever

Purpose of review Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is a tick-borne viral zoonosis with the potential of human-to-human transmission, affecting wide areas in Asia, Southeastern Europe, and Africa. Hemorrhagic manifestations constitute a prominent symptom of late stage disease with case fatality rates from 10% to 50%. The purpose of this article is to review recent literature on Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever with emphasis on its epidemiology and management. Recent findings Climate and environmental changes may affect Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever epidemiology and trigger community outbreaks. Risk factors for acquisition of infection have been well studied. In the hospital, high-risk activities include interventions for gastrointestinal bleeding and needle stick injuries. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction may rapidly diagnose Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever with high sensitivity and specificity. Ribavirin is the only promising therapeutic agent currently available but case–control studies have not been conducted. Recently, the Mx proteins have been found to act against Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus and deserve further research. Summary Clinicians should be aware of the potential of importation of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever cases from endemic areas and nosocomial transmission. Studies on the efficacy of ribavirin are needed.