hollydolly
SF VIP
- Location
- London England
A disease thought to kill up to four in ten people who become infected has been identified in France for the first time.
Ticks carrying Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) have been found on the nation's border with Spain.
The disease — a cousin of Ebola — is endemic in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Balkans, and has been sporadically detected in southern parts of western Europe such as Spain.
Experts have long warned that climate change will propel the disease into northern Europe. And even Britain could be at risk.
Live ticks collected from cattle in the Pyrénées Orientales region were found to be harbouring the disease.
World Health Organization officials declared CCHF one of its nine priority diseases this year due to its potential threat.
CCHF is mainly spread to humans by tick bites, but people can also catch it through contact with bodily fluids from infected patients.
The disease shares similar symptoms to Ebola at the start, including muscle aches, abdominal pain, a sore throat and vomiting.
It can also trigger bleeding, usually from the nose or from broken capillaries on the eyes and skin.
Eye-bleeding virus found in FRANCE amid fears it's coming to Britain
Ticks carrying Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) have been found on the nation's border with Spain.
The disease — a cousin of Ebola — is endemic in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Balkans, and has been sporadically detected in southern parts of western Europe such as Spain.
Experts have long warned that climate change will propel the disease into northern Europe. And even Britain could be at risk.
Live ticks collected from cattle in the Pyrénées Orientales region were found to be harbouring the disease.
World Health Organization officials declared CCHF one of its nine priority diseases this year due to its potential threat.
CCHF is mainly spread to humans by tick bites, but people can also catch it through contact with bodily fluids from infected patients.
The disease shares similar symptoms to Ebola at the start, including muscle aches, abdominal pain, a sore throat and vomiting.
It can also trigger bleeding, usually from the nose or from broken capillaries on the eyes and skin.
Eye-bleeding virus found in FRANCE amid fears it's coming to Britain
