A Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Case in an Endemic Region in November

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is an acute and serious viral disease that is transmitted by the bites of ticks and clinically manifested with fever and bleeding. CCHF is endemic in the Central and Northern Anatolia regions of Turkey. The disease is generally seen in spring and summer. We report the first CCHF case diagnosed in November in Tokat. A 59-year-old male was hospitalized after a tick bite with complaints of weakness, fatigue, and generalized muscle ache was hospitalized. At that time, axillary temperature was 39 degrees C, blood pressure was 110/70 mmHg, pulse rate was 86/minute, and clinical examination was unremarkable except fever. White blood cell (WBC) count was 2200/mu L, hemoglobin was 11.7 g/dL, platelet was 78 000/mu L, C-reactive protein (CRP) was 7.0 mg/dL, prothrombin time (PT) was 14.7 seconds, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) was 63 IU/L, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 42 IU/L in the laboratory examination. Due to clinical and laboratory findings, the patient suspected of having CCHF was given symptomatic treatment. Patient's polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was positive for CCHF virus. Patient was discharged after recovery. CCHF should be considered in differential diagnosis of patients between April to November in endemic areas.