1st CCHFV Africa Conference

DATE: May 3rd – 4th
Breakwater lodge, Cape Town, South Africa

As part of its continuing mission to reinforce health security in Europe and beyond, ERINHA is proud to sponsor and participate in the CCHFV Africa 2023 conference. Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, caused by CCHFV, is currently a real health problem not only in Africa, but in Türkiye too. With climate change, the range of CCHFV’s tick vector is expanding, posing a threat to countries throughout Europe. Through its own activities, and through the coordination of the ISIDORe project, ERINHA offers researchers from the African continent the possibility to benefit from access to cutting-edge scientific technology and expertise, empowering African researchers in a common goal of pandemic prevention.

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus is a tick-borne virus with the propensity to cause severe viral haemorrhagic fever outbreaks, with case fatalities of up to 30%. This fatality rate can increase to 40% during nosocomial outbreaks.

Preparedness for CCHF viral outbreaks in Africa can only be improved through increased awareness campaigns and active research and surveillance ventures. These activities will also aid in the process of developing and establishing preventative measures among high-risk populations. In terms of research and development, Africa is in dire need of inexpensive, rapid, sensitive, and accurate diagnostic tools which could preferably be employed in field contexts. In addition, the only current treatment for CCHF is supportive therapy and the use of the anti-viral, ribavirin, the usefulness of which is limited to administration early after onset of illness. Thus, it emphasises the need to study the pathogenic mechanisms of this virus to ultimately find novel or supplementary treatment options.