A person has died in Senegal from Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, known as Congo fever, a viral disease that is transmitted by ticks, AFP learned on Tuesday from the Ministry of Health, which says that the case was circumscribed.
A butcher who was on duty at the slaughterhouses in Dakar was declared ill on April 21 and then died on April 22, told AFP Doctor Boly Diop, coordinator of the fight against Congo fever at the Ministry of Health.
“It was a single case. We then carried out investigations in the family, professional and health environments (of the victim) because the disease is contagious. The contact cases have been identified and we have followed them. All the samples came back negative,” added Mr. Diop.
This fatal case is the first recorded in Senegal this year. The country had five cases of Congo fever in 2022, including one death, Diop said.
Congo disease is a zoonosis. Transmission of this hemorrhagic fever to humans occurs “either through tick bites or through contact with blood or tissues of infected animals, during or immediately after slaughter,” according to the World Health Organization. health (WHO).
The majority of cases are found in people working in the livestock sector, among farmers, slaughterhouse employees or veterinarians, indicates a technical sheet from the Senegalese ministry. of Health.
Between humans, the transmission of the disease “may occur following direct contact with blood, secretions, organs or biological fluids of infected subjects”, according to the WHO. The virus of this hemorrhagic fever causes death in 10 to 40% of cases.