Open AccessSeroepidemiological survey of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever among high-risk groups in the west of Iran
Author(s) -
Narges Shahbazi,
Sahar Khaki Firouz,
Maryam Karimi,
Ehsan Mostafavi
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of vector borne diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.581
H-Index - 41
ISSN - 0972-9062
DOI - 10.4103/0972-9062.263720
Subject(s) - crimean–congo hemorrhagic fever , medicine , environmental health , disease , cross sectional study , public health , veterinary medicine , pathology , nursing
Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a zoonotic viral haemorrhagic disease. This disease is more common in people who work with animals infected with CCHF virus. The aim of this study was to evaluate the CCHF exposure in high-risk occupational groups in Kurdistan Province in the west of Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2014 in three counties of Kurdistan Province, viz. Sanandaj, Marivan and Sarvabad. About 50 butchers and slaughterhouse workers, 50 hunters, 50 health care workers and 100 subjects referred to clinical laboratories were sampled and examined for the diagnosis of IgG antibodies against the CCHF using ELISA method. The serum sample of one of the butchers and slaughterhouse workers was positive for CCHF virus. No positive case was found in any other studied groups. The study findings indicate that although CCHF is an endemic disease in different parts of Iran, there is a low rate of seropositivity among high-risk occupations in the west of Iran. Therefore, it is not probably a serious public health problem in this area.