CRIMEAN- CONGO HAEMORRHAGIC FEVER REGIONAL EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND PREVENTION IN THE EXPANDING RISK ZONE

 Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is one of the most widespread tick-borne  viral haemorrhagic infections in humans. Cases of the disease are reported in more than 30 countries  across Africa, Asia, the Middle  East and Europe. Its primary vector and reservoir is the tick of the  genus Hyalomma, and the distribution map of the disease largely coincides with the range of this tick.  Approximately 10,000–15,000 cases are reported annually, and around 3 billion people  live in at-risk  areas.  These  figures  likely  underestimate  the  true  burden  of  the  disease:  many  infections  are  subclinical,  epidemiological  surveillance  is  patchy,  and  laboratory  diagnosis  is  limited  in  many  places.