The regional health agency in Corsica announced on Wednesday the presence of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in the territory.
The virus has been detected on ticks, which can transmit it to humans.
This is a discovery that calls for great vigilance. Although Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) had already been present in Corsica for several years, the virus had until then only been detected on cattle farms. The Regional Health Agency in Corsica now announces its presence on ticks in the territory with a risk of transmission to humans, confirming information from our colleagues in Point. “What is new is the detection of the disease in ticks, insect vectors and therefore making the disease potentially transmissible to humans,” summarizes the ARS in a press release dated April 24.
The health agency recalls that health professionals and elected officials have been made aware of “to this risk of emerging pathologies” from March, “as part of health monitoring”, via a newsletter. As a reminder, in its monthly bulletin for the month of March, the ARS actually indicated that“a new risk is identified around the Mediterranean with the detection for the first time in 2023 of the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus on ticks from the south of France.” At the National level, from the summer of 2023, the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES) warned in a report on the risks of Hyalomma ticks that“an emergence (of Crimean-Congo fever) in France is possible”.
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Ticks are back: five things to know to protect yourself from them
Vector of numerous pathogens, including the Crimean-Congo fever virus (CCF), the Hyalomma tick is native to Africa and Asia. Introduced mainly by migratory birds coming from Africa, this tick has been present in Corsica for several decades, and on the Mediterranean coast since 2015. Around ten indigenous human cases of this fever have been reported in Spain since 2013, some of which have led to the death of the patient, observes the agency.
As a reminder, to protect against bites, long clothing in the forest or in tall grass and vigilance are recommended. This is all the more true since, unlike what exists for mosquitoes, no national surveillance system is organized for these mites which nevertheless represent the most important vectors of pathogens responsible for serious diseases for humans.
