Global Distribution of CCHF – Credit WHO
# 6612
News this morning from the UK press that the 38-year old man who flew into Glasgow, Scotland earlier this week from the Middle East infected with CCHF (see Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Patient Isolated In Glasgow) has died overnight.
This report from the Independent, after which, I’ll have more.
Patient with rare fever dies in UK hospital
Lucinda Cameron - Saturday 06 October 2012
A man being treated for Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever after returning to the UK from Afghanistan has died.
It is the first laboratory-confirmed case of CCHF in the UK, according to the Health Protection Agency (HPA).
Other passengers who sat close to him on an aircraft are undergoing daily health checks.
Although originally hospitalized at Gartnavel General Hospital's Brownlee Centre, the unidentified patient was transferred yesterday to a high bio-security unit at London's Royal Free Hospital yesterday.
The following statement from the HPA was released yesterday, before the patient’s death.
Confirmed case of Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever in the UK
5 October 2012
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is aware of a laboratory confirmed case of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) in a UK traveller who has recently returned from Afghanistan. The patient has been transferred from Glasgow, Scotland to the high security infectious diseases unit at the Royal Free hospital in London using specialist air transport.
CCHF is a serious viral disease which infects a range of domestic and wild animals. Humans are usually infected directly from the blood or body fluids of infected animals or via tick bites. The disease is endemic in many countries in Africa, parts of Europe, the Middle East and Asia.CCHF can be acquired from an infected patient, but this requires direct contact with their blood or body fluids Therefore, there is no risk to the general population. As a precautionary measure, close contacts of the patient including hospital staff involved in the patient’s care have been contacted and will be monitored.
The HPA is providing public health, diagnostic and other support to the teams currently handling this incident.
This is the first laboratory-confirmed case of CCHF in the United Kingdom.
Information about the Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever is available on the HPA website. Information about the geographical distribution of CCHF is available on the HPA website. Further information about the transmission of CCHF is available on the HPA website. Information on CCHF is available from the World Health Organization (WHO) website [external link]. Visit the Royal Free Hospital website [external link].
While the risk that this virus has been spread to others is considered low, the HPA will monitor close contacts of this patient for the next two weeks looking for any signs of infection.
