The patient is being treated at the Royal Free Hospital in Camden
(Picture: Getty Images)A woman has been diagnosed in the UK with Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever following travel to Central Asia, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.
Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a viral disease usually transmitted by ticks and livestock animals in countries where the disease is endemic.
The woman was diagnosed at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and is receiving specialist care at the Royal Free Hospital in London.
Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at the UKHSA, said the virus “does not spread easily between people and the overall risk to the public is very low”.
She said the agency was working to contact people who have been in close contact with the woman to assess them and provide advice.
Dr Hopkins added: “UKHSA and the NHS have well-established and robust infection control procedures for dealing with cases of imported infectious disease and these will be strictly followed.”
Prior to this case, there have been two cases of CCHF imported to the UK, in 2012 and one in 2014.
There was no evidence of onward transmission from either of these cases.
The principal carriers of CCHF are Hyalomma ticks.
These are not established in the UK and the virus has never been detected here in a tick.
Dr Sir Michael Jacobs, consultant in infectious diseases at the Royal Free London, said: “The Royal Free Hospital is a specialist centre for treating patients with viral infections such as CCHF.
“Our high level isolation unit is run by an expert team of doctors, nurses, therapists and laboratory staff and is designed to ensure we can safely treat patients with these kind of infections.”
People living in or visiting endemic areas should use personal protective measures to avoid contact with ticks, the government has warned.
These include avoiding areas where ticks are abundant, using repellents and checking skin and clothing carefully for ticks.
