Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever in Portugal: Braganca

30 Aug 2024

The Portuguese Directorate-General for Health has reported a fatal case of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever in the district of Braganca. The case was a man in his eighties who had been doing farm work before becoming unwell on 11 July 2024 and later dying in the local hospital.

This is the first confirmed case of CCHF in Portugal.

CCHF is a potentially fatal tick-borne viral haemorrhagic fever. It is found in over 30 countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Eastern/Southern Europe.

CCHF is an infection spread by tick bites that can cause a severe viral illness accompanied by bleeding.

Advice for Travellers

CCHF is extremely rare in travellers. The risk is higher if you are travelling to an area where the infection occurs and will be:

• at increased risk of tick bites, for example whilst camping, hiking, visiting farms or animal sanctuaries
• involved in the care or slaughter of animals
• a healthcare worker who may be exposed to infected patients

If you are travelling to an area where CCHF virus is present, you need to be aware of the disease and how to avoid becoming infected by:

• avoiding tick-bites
• following appropriate infection control procedures if you are working in a health care setting
• wearing gloves and other protective clothing if you are involved in the care or slaughter of animals.There is no vaccine available for use against CCHF in the UK.

See the Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever page for further information.