First serological evidence of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever in febrile patients in Mozambique

Abstract

Objective: Despite its geographical spread, the epidemiology of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in Sub-Saharan Africa is incompletely understood and its occurrence in Mozambique is unknown. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the occurrence of CCHF virus (CCHFV) among febrile patients attending an outpatient appointment clinic at three separate primary health care centres in Mozambique.

Methods: Serum samples were collected from a total of 300 febrile patients aged >5 years who were recruited between March 2015 and March 2016 at three health centres in Mozambique. Each patient was screened for IgG antibodies against CCHFV using an ELISA.

Results: Of the 300 patients enrolled, eight had samples that were positive for anti-CCHFV IgG antibodies, yielding a prevalence rate of 2.7%.

Conclusions: This study shows for the first time that humans are exposed to CCHFV in Mozambique. It highlights the need for further work to investigate the broader extent of circulating CCHFV in the country and its clinical implications.

Keywords: Acute febrile illness; CCHF; Haemorrhagic fever; Maputo; Mozambique; Tick-borne infection; Zoonosis.