Congo fever – a fatal hemorrhagic fever

Congo fever is a widely distributed vector borne viral disease, seen in different regions of the world. CCHF virus (CCHFV), which belongs to the Nairovirus genus and Bunyaviridae family, is causative agent for this fatal condition. As this virus is highly pathogenic and easily transmissible it forms a threat on Human society and it has a fatality rate of 40-70%.The virus can be transmitted to human being either from animal which is exposed to tick or directly from tick. Human to human transmission is also common through their body secretion, this risk is more common among health professionals. The major symptoms include headache, hyper pyrexia, stomach ache, muscle pain, low blood pressure and flushed face. As the disease progresses, there is appearance of most severe hemorrhagic symptoms such as petechiae, ecchymosis, epistaxis, bleeding gums and emesis. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, antigen detection, serum neutralization and isolation of the virus by cell culture are the common diagnostic measures used for identifying viral infection. Even though there is no specific management is available for CCHF, immunotherapy and ribavirin have been approved by the World Health Organization for the treatment of CCHFV infection. Nevertheless educating the public regarding the risk factors and control measures can easily help to reduce the spread of this disease to a greater extent, It is very true particularly in developing countries as there is less resources.