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Symptoms of killer virus spreading across Europe

An urgent health warning has been issued for – what has been described as – the current biggest threat to public health over new cases of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever

New cases of a killer virus are spreading across Europe, with experts warning it could reach the UK. It’s been described as the current biggest threat to public health, after breaking out in Iraq and Namibia.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), has also caused two reported deaths in Pakistan – with several cases 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”.

The disease is caused by Nairovirus, a condition that is spread by ticks and according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and has a fatality rate of between 10 and 40 percent.

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