Symptoms of killer virus ‘highly likely’ to reach Britain

Symptoms of killer virus ‘highly likely to’ reach UK after cases reported across Europe (Image: Getty Images) Experts have warned that the symptoms of the new killer virus could reach the UK as new cases have been reported across Europe. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) has been described as the current biggest threat to public health, after breaking out in Iraq and Namibia. The virus is caused by the ticks (Image: Getty Images) The deadly virus has also caused two reported deaths in Pakistan while many cases have been reported in Spain. Last week, insiders speaking to Parliament’s Science, Innovation and Technology Committee revealed it was “highly likely” there could soon be cases in the UK. During the hearing, James Wood, head of veterinary medicine at Cambridge University, said CCHF could find its way to the UK “through our ticks, at some point”. According to WHO, CCHF is a widespread disease caused by a tick-borne virus (Nairovirus) of the Bunyaviridae family. The CCHF virus causes severe viral haemorrhagic fever outbreaks, with a case fatality rate of 10–40 percent. The onset of symptoms include sudden, with fever, myalgia, (muscle ache), dizziness, neck pain and stiffness, backache, headache, sore eyes and photophobia (sensitivity to light). People might have nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and sore throat early on, followed by sharp mood swings and confusion. However, after two to four days, the agitation may be replaced by sleepiness, depression and lassitude, and the abdominal pain may localize to the upper right quadrant, with detectable hepatomegaly (liver enlargement). The length of the symptoms depends on thow the virus was aquired. Following infection by a tick bite, the incubation period is usually one to three days, with a maximum of nine days. The incubation period following contact with infected blood or tissues is usually five to six days, with a documented maximum of 13 days. WHO noted CCHF was among its nine “priority diseases”, a system that lays bare the biggest public health risks. The health agency said that general supportive care with treatment of symptoms is the main approach to managing CCHF in people. The antiviral drug ribavirin has been used to treat CCHF infection with apparent benefit. Both oral and intravenous formulations seem to be effective. Iraq was reportedly in a major battle with the disease last year, with 212 incidents recorded between January 1 and May 22. Of those, 169 were reported between April and May alone.