title: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever among health care workers in Iran: a seroprevalence study in two endemic regions.
abstract: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) has repeatedly caused nosocomial outbreaks among hospital staff. In the summer of 2003, we studied the seroprevalence of anti-CCHF IgG among health care workers who had come in contact with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever patients from three referral hospitals in endemic regions of Iran. A total of 223 eligible staff were examined. Whereas 5 of 129 (3.87%) exposed health care workers tested positive, none of the 94 in the unexposed group did (P=0.075). Seropositivity was more frequent among those whose intact skin had come in contact with nonsanguineous body fluids (9.52%) and those who had had percutaneous contacts (7.14%). Health care workers exposed to Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever patients, those who live in Systan-Baluchestan province, and older health care workers were more prone to seropositivity. Where introduction of high-risk modes of contact cannot be confined, we propose that health care workers take all the protective measures when handling Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever patients, particularly their blood and other body fluids.
authors.affiliation: Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Masoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mardani
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rahnavardi
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rajaeinejad
authors.forename: Kourosh Holakoui
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Naini
authors.forename: Sadegh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chinikar
authors.forename: Farshad
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pourmalek
authors.forename: Mojtaba
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rostami
authors.forename: Mohammad Hashemi
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Shahri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D003225:Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo / Q000276:immunology; D006479:Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral