title: Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus in Kazakhstan (1948-2013).
abstract: Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a pathogenic and often fatal arboviral disease with a distribution spanning large areas of Africa, Europe and Asia. The causative agent is a negative-sense single-stranded RNA virus classified within the Nairovirus genus of the Bunyaviridae family. Cases of CCHF have been officially recorded in Kazakhstan since the disease was first officially reported in modern medicine. Serological surveillance of human and animal populations provide evidence that the virus was perpetually circulating in a local enzoonotic cycle involving mammals, ticks and humans in the southern regions of the country. Most cases of human disease were associated with agricultural professions such as farming, shepherding and fruit-picking; the typical route of infection was via tick-bite although several cases of contact transmission associated with caring for sick patients have been documented. In total, 704 confirmed human cases of CCHF have been registered in Kazakhstan from 1948-2013 with an overall case fatality rate of 14.8% for cases with a documented outcome. The southern regions of Kazakhstan should be considered endemic for CCHF with cases reported from these territories on an annual basis. Modern diagnostic technologies allow for rapid clinical diagnosis and for surveillance studies to monitor for potential expansion in known risk areas.
authors.affiliation: M. Aikimbaev Kazakh Scientific Center for Quarantine and Zoonotic Diseases (KSCQZD), Almaty, Kazakhstan. Electronic address: nti0872@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Talgat
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nurmakhanov
authors.affiliation: M. Aikimbaev Kazakh Scientific Center for Quarantine and Zoonotic Diseases (KSCQZD), Almaty, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Yerlan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sansyzbaev
authors.affiliation: M. Aikimbaev Kazakh Scientific Center for Quarantine and Zoonotic Diseases (KSCQZD), Almaty, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Bakhyt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Atshabar
authors.affiliation: M. Aikimbaev Kazakh Scientific Center for Quarantine and Zoonotic Diseases (KSCQZD), Almaty, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Deryabin
authors.affiliation: M. Aikimbaev Kazakh Scientific Center for Quarantine and Zoonotic Diseases (KSCQZD), Almaty, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Stanislav
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kazakov
authors.affiliation: Agency for Consumer Protection, Astana, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Aitmagambet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zholshorinov
authors.affiliation: Anti-Plague Station, Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Almagul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matzhanova
authors.affiliation: Department of Consumer Protection: Kyzylorda oblast, Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Alya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sadvakassova
authors.affiliation: Anti-Plague Station, Shymkent, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Ratbek
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Saylaubekuly
authors.affiliation: Scientific Practical Center for Sanitary Epidemiological Expertise and Monitoring, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Kakimzhan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kyraubaev
authors.affiliation: State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hay
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Services Division, Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury, UK. Electronic address: barry.atkinson@phe.gov.uk.
authors.forename: Barry
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Atkinson
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Services Division, Public Health England, Porton Down, Salisbury, UK.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hewson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019353:Endemic Diseases / Q000266:history; D003225:Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006479:Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000266:history / Q000401:mortality; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007623:Kazakhstan; D013987:Ticks / Q000821:virology
keywords: CCHF; Central Asia; Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever; Kazakhstan