Epidemics of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) in Sudan between 2010 and 2020

Abstract

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a zoonotic arboviral disease that poses a great threat to global health in the Old World, and it is endemic in Europe, Asia, and Africa, including Sudan. In this retrospective study, we reviewed previous epidemiological reports about the major epidemics of CCHF throughout Sudan between 2010 and 2020. During these epidemics, the infection of humans with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV), the causative agent of CCHF, was diagnosed using qRT-PCR. We have identified 88 cases of CCHF, including 13 fatalities reported during five epidemics that occurred in 2010, 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2020. The two epidemics in 2010 and 2011 were by far the largest, with 51 and 27 cases reported, respectively. The majority of cases (78%) were reported in the endemic region of Kordofan. Here, we document that the first emergence of CCHFV in the Darfur region, West Sudan, occurred in 2010. We were not able to investigate outbreak dynamics through phylogenetic analysis due to the limited diagnostic capacity and the lack of sequencing services in the country. These findings call for establishing a genomic-based integrated One Health surveillance and response system for the early preparedness, prevention, and control of CCHF in the country.

The First Molecular Detection of Aedes albopictus in Sudan Associates with Increased Outbreaks of Chikungunya and Dengue

“…In addition, the western borders of Sudan had suffered from an armed-conflict that persisted since 2003, and several diseases and disease vectors emerged in the area. The emergence and spread of several zoonotic diseases, such as CCHF, dengue, hepatitis E virus, RVF, YF, and WNV in Sudan, were associated with the environmental and socioeconomic changes due to the war-induced humanitarian crisis [ 4 , 5 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 33 , 55 , 56 , 57 ]. Climate change is also playing a major role in the spread of infectious diseases and their vectors in the country and globally [ 17 , 33 , 58 , 59 , 60 ].…”

“…Arboviruses are infecting a wide range of hosts, including humans and other vertebrates, and arthropod disease vectors [ 2 ]. Some of the arboviruses are posing a serious global health threat, such as, chikungunya (CHIKV), Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), dengue (DENV), yellow fever (YFV), and Zika (ZIKV) virus infections [ 3 , 4 ]. Other arboviruses, such as Rift Valley fever (RVF), African swine fever, bluetongue, as well as Marburg (MBGV) and Schmallenberg viruses, are having devastating economic impacts because of their high morbidity and mortality among domestic animals, including cattle, sheep, and goats [ 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”

“…During recent years, the distribution and burden of arboviruses in Sudan increased remarkably, with several annual outbreaks reported from across the country [ 21 ]. The emerging and re-emerging arboviral diseases in Sudan include chikungunya, CCHF, dengue, RVF, and WNV [ 4 , 5 , 17 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. However, the surveillance system of arboviral disease vectors in the country is outdated, with only one comprehensive survey of the species vector composition and distribution of Aedes mosquitoes dating back to 1955 [ 27 ].…”

Guillain‐Barre syndrome associated with COVID‐19 infection: A case series

“…18 Patients were seronegative for major viruses including HIV, Hepatitis E virus (HEV), human papillomavirus (HPV), and major human arboviruses such as chikungunya (CHIK), Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), dengue (DEN), Rift Valley fever (RVF), West Nile (WNV), and Zika (ZIKV) viruses. [18][19][20][21][22][23][24] Cases were presented at the outpatient clinic at the Royal Care hospital in Khartoum. Following the presentation of the first case an ethical approval was obtained from the research ethics committee (Institutional Review Board).…”

“… 18 Patients were seronegative for major viruses including HIV, Hepatitis E virus (HEV), human papillomavirus (HPV), and major human arboviruses such as chikungunya (CHIK), Crimean‐Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), dengue (DEN), Rift Valley fever (RVF), West Nile (WNV), and Zika (ZIKV) viruses. 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 …”