Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in Pakistan: Are we going in the right direction?

© 2015 Journal of Research in Pharmacy Practice | Published by Wolters Kluwer Medknow 173 Crimean‐Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a viral disease prevalent in Asia, Africa, Middle East, and the South‐Eastern Europe.[1] The CCHF virus has a fatality rate of 10–50%.[2] In Asia, Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan are endemic to CCHF. The active areas are those in the border between the three countries. The movements of the nomads across the borders with their animals including those infested with Hyalomma ticks are responsible for transmitting the virus to both the animals and the humans.[2] The peak of disease occurrence is long term from March to October (spring to fall) as ticks are active in this period although the cases are reported throughout the year. Insanitary state of breeding places and slaughter houses, and the lack of awareness of tick borne diseases among the butchers and the public are the major factors associated with the transmission of CCHF.[3]