Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever spreading due to climate change

By Esma Kucuksahin

KAYSERI, Türkiye (AA) - The Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), caused by ticks, has begun to appear in many countries due to climate change, a Turkish professor said.

The disease is a seasonal illness transmitted to humans by ticks of the Hyalomma genus, Professor Dr. Aykut Ozdarendeli, the director of Erciyes University's Vaccine Research and Development Center, who developed the TURKOVAC vaccine against COVID-19 and is currently conducting research on a vaccine for CCHF, told Anadolu.

Ozdarendeli highlighted that in recent years, due to both climate changes and the appearance of the disease-causing ticks in different regions, the disease has started to spread over a larger area.

"We know there have been fatalities not only in our country but also in Russia, Iran, Greece, Bulgaria, and Spain. It is spreading towards Europe due to climate change, and it already exists in Africa," he noted.

"Because it is one of the nine significant pathogens (disease-causing organisms) identified by the World Health Organization, there is no vaccine or treatment for it," Ozdarendeli said.

"In this regard, it’s not only a problem for our country but also for the world. Developing a vaccine for this would be a great service to humanity," he explained.

Recalling that they have been working on a CCHF vaccine for many years, Ozdarendeli mentioned that their efforts were interrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We were in the final stages of preclinical trials. We resumed it about a year and a half ago after the pandemic, and we currently have an ongoing project," according to the professor.

"I hope that within a year, the project will reach the clinical stage. We've gathered a lot of data; toxicology experiments need to be conducted, and a few more trials need to be completed," he said.

"We have invested many years in this project. I believe we will start Phase 1 trials soon," the Turkish doctor added.