First Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever outbreak in India

Abstract

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) has not been reportedly previously from India. Initial clinical features of dengue fever and CCHF are similar and it is very difficult to differentiate and diagnose CCHF. Common clinical features of CCHF include; high grade fever with chills, headache, body ache, myalgia, vomiting, abdominal pain, weakness and bleeding from multiple sites. Laboratory investigations showed cytopenia, raised prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), raised creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) as well as altered liver and renal functions. Patients with above symptoms can rapidly progress to bleeding from multiple sites and death compared to dengue fever. It is crucial to recognize CCHF at early stage to institute ribavirin treatment and also to prevent nosocomial spread of disease to health care workers. We are describing first four cases of recent CCHF outbreak in Ahmedabad.