ANKARA
A cattle farmer and his wife have died in Turkey after contracting Crimean-Congo Heamorrhagic Fever (CCHF), health officials said on Wednesday.
Selahattin Ozmen, 57, and his wife Mine, 50, died in hospital in Tufanbeyli in the southern province of Adana on Tuesday after suffering diarrhea and fatigue, according to Dr. Yesim Tasova, the hospital’s head of infectious diseases, said.
The Health Ministry said tests had confirmed the presence of the virus, which is primarily transmitted from ticks and livestock animals and is prevalent across the Balkans and Middle East.
Three of their cows died 10 days ago, Tasova said.
According to the World Health Organization there is a 40 percent fatality rate for CCHF and most infections incur among those involved in the livestock industry.
