Elevated Human Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Seroprevalence in Khashm el Girba, Eastern Sudan

Abstract

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne disease that can evolve into deadly hemorrhagic fever and that is endemic in many parts of Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa. Because of several reports about CCHF outbreaks in the south of Sudan during the last years, we examined in this study if unrecognized CCHF-V infections also occurred in the eastern and central parts of the country. The study examined the seroprevalence of CCHF virus infection in 464 sera from three regions of Sudan without previous reports of CCHF infection. The total CCHF virus seroprevalence was 2.6% (12 sera). The percentage was significantly elevated (7.5%) in sera from Khashm el Girba in eastern Sudan. The population in this area should be educated about the risk of disease transmission and how to avoid the infection. Health-care providers should be informed about the disease to identify possible cases and to prevent nosocomial transmission.