Upsurge of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever During Eid-Al-Adha Period 2023 in Iraq
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54133/ajms.v7i1.1087Keywords:
Crimean-Congo, Eid Al-Adha, Hemorrhagic fever, IraqAbstract
Background: Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne zoonotic disease. It has a case fatality rate of up to 40%. Animal sacrifices during the Eid-Al-Adha period are a common religious tradition in the country. Since 2021, Iraq has been plagued by a continuous epidemic. Objectives: To investigate the upsurge of CCHF cases during the Eid-Al-Adha period in 2023 and determine the times of high incidence and related risk factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using data derived from the Communicable Disease Control Center in Iraq during the period from June 19 to July 30, 2023, and included all laboratory-confirmed cases during the study period. The studied variables were categorized according to before, during and after the Eid period. The chi-square test and regression analysis were used to analyze the variables. Results: CCHF cases increased during the Eid period (118, compared to 63 before and 23 after). Slaughtering activities during the Eid period increased by more than 45%. Being a butcher and participating in slaughtering activities significantly contributed to the increase in cases during the Eid period. The only significant predictor identified was the presence of slaughtering activities before and after Eid, compared to the Eid period itself. Conclusions: CCHF cases increased during the Eid-Al-Adha period, which may be due to animal sacrifice activities during this Islamic festival.
Downloads
References
Shaikh MU, Ali N, Memon AM. Clinico-hematological features and outcome of patients affected by Congo–Crimean hemorrhagic fever: An experience from a single center. Iraqi J Hematol. 2022;11(2):158-162. doi: 10.4103/ijh.ijh_44_22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/ijh.ijh_44_22
World Health Organization (WHO). Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever, 2022. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/crimean-congo-haemorrhagic-fever [Accessed 3 Sep. 2023].
Qaderi S, Mardani M, Shah A, Shah J, Bazgir N, Sayad J, et al. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in Afghanistan: A retrospective single center study. Int J Infect Dis. 2021;103:323-328. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2020.11.208. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2020.11.208
Ghareeb OA, Sultan AI. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever represents a zoonotic infection: A review. Euras Med Res Periodical. 2023;22:1-7.
AL-Tikriti SK, Al-Ani F, Jurji FJ, Tantawi H, Al-Moslih M, Al-Janabi N, et al. Congo/Crimean haemorrhagic fever in Iraq. Bull World Health Organ. 1981;59(1):85-90.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF). Outbreak distribution map. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/crimean-congo/outbreaks/distribution-map.html [Accessed 9 Sep.2023].
Leblebicioglu H, Sunbul M, Memish ZA, Al-Tawfiq JA, Bodur H, Ozkul A, et al. Consensus report: preventive measures for Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever during Eid-al-Adha festival. Int J Infect Dis. 2015;38:9-15. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2015.06.029. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2015.06.029
Sorvillo TE, Rodriguez SE, Hudson P, Carey M, Rodriguez LL, Spiropoulou CF, et al. Towards a sustainable one health approach to Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever prevention: focus areas and gaps in knowledge. Tropic Med Infect Dis. 2020;5:113. doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed5030113. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed5030113
Al-Abri, SS, Hewson R, Al-Kindi H, Al-Abaidani I, Al-Jardani A, Al-Maani A, et al. Clinical and molecular epidemiology of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in Oman. PLoS Neglect Tropic Dis. 2019;13(4):e0007100. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007100. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007100
Saleem M, Shah SZ, Haidari A, Idrees F. Prevalence of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in Pakistan and its new research progress. J Coastal Life Med. 2016;4(4):259-262. doi: 10.12980/jclm.4.2016J5-239. DOI: https://doi.org/10.12980/jclm.4.2016J5-239
Ullah N, Jamil M, Ramzan M, Arshad A, Zeeshanul Haq M. Identification and new record of tick species on livestock from district Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan. Persian J Acarol. 2022;11(1):159-162. doi: 10.22073/pja.v11i1.7.
Samadi A, Esmati AB, Ababneh MMK, Amiri M, Ahmadi MS. Descriptive epidemiology of Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever cases admitted to Kabul main hospitals during 2015 to 2018. Veterin Med Pub Health J. 2021;2(1):1-7. doi: doi: 10.31559/vmph2021.2.1.1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31559/VMPH2021.2.1.1
Noreen N, Saima D, Irum N, Asghar RJ, Faiz AU, Mohiuddin N, et al. Characterisation of suspected Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) cases in a public sector hospital Islamabad. Global Secur Health Sci Policy. 2020;5(1):85-92. doi: 10.1080/23779497.2020.1823869. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23779497.2020.1823869
Yilmaz S, Yilmaz SI, Alay H, Kosan Z, Eren Z. Temporal tendency, seasonality and relationship with climatic factors of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever cases (East of Turkey: 2012–2021). Heliyon. 2023;9(9). doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19593. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19593
Saeed A, Lashari WA, Larik EA, Mastoi ZI, Akram KS. Epidemiological profile of Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) cases at a tertiary care hospital Quetta, Pakistan. One Health J Nepal. 2021;1(2):10-14.
Aslam M, Abbas RZ, Alsayeqh A. Distribution pattern of Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever in Asia and the Middle East. Front Pub Health. 2023;11:1093817. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1093817. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1093817
AbdulRaheem Y. Unveiling the significance and challenges of integrating prevention levels in healthcare practice. J Prim Care Community Health. 2023;14. doi: 10.1177/21501319231186500. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319231186500
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Al-Rafidain Journal of Medical Sciences ( ISSN 2789-3219 )
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Published by Al-Rafidain University College. This is an open access journal issued under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).