A man in Spain died from Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), a disease similar to Ebola, after being bitten by a tick. The 74-year-old passed away from organ failure in an isolation ward at Madrid's La Paz-Carlos III Hospital, a spokesperson told CNN on Monday. CCHF causes severe viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks, similar to Ebola, with initial symptoms including sudden fever, chills, vomiting, and diarrhea, followed by mood swings and confusion. It also involves bleeding, such as nosebleeds, ruptured eye capillaries, skin rashes, and internal bleeding signs like blood in urine or stool.
Insects can be carriers of diseases like Lyme and West Nile virus. Ladislav Kubeš/iStockphoto/Getty Images
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), CCHF is difficult to prevent and treat, with no available vaccine and a mortality rate of up to 40%. The man sought medical help on July 19 in Móstoles, reporting fever and malaise after a tick bite a few days earlier in Buendía, central Spain. On July 21, health authorities confirmed he had CCHF, and he was transferred to La Paz-Carlos III Hospital. Despite being reported stable initially, he died a week later. Death usually occurs in the second week of illness, and those who recover start to see symptom improvement within nine to ten days of first falling ill.
CCHF is endemic in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Asia south of the 50th parallel north. Jacob Lorenzo-Morales, director of the University of La Laguna's Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health, said Spain's first CCHF case was detected in 2016, with one to three cases confirmed annually in central and western Spain since then. Lorenzo-Morales noted that cases typically occur from April to August and that climate change may accelerate tick reproduction. He emphasized the importance of preventive measures, such as wearing long, light-colored clothing, boots, and tick repellents, as CCHF is an emerging disease across Western Europe.
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