A 72-year-old woman being treated at Cumhuriyet University Hospital in Sivas died Wednesday from Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), raising this year's death toll from the disease to eight, health authorities confirmed.
The tick-borne illness first appeared in Türkiye in 2002, typically surging during spring and summer when tick populations peak. It is particularly common in the provinces of Corum, Tokat, Amasya, Kastamonu, Gumushane, and Sivas.
Because no vaccine exists, officials have stressed prevention. The Health Ministry has urged people in rural areas to wear protective clothing and inspect themselves for ticks. The virus can pass from ticks to humans and animals, and also spreads through blood, saliva, or respiratory droplets.
CCHF is a viral hemorrhagic fever with a high mortality rate, endemic across parts of Africa, Europe, and Asia. It was first documented in the Crimea in 1944. In 1969, researchers determined that the pathogen behind that outbreak was identical to one identified in the Congo in 1956, leading to the combined name now used for the disease.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in July 2006, in its own words.