Health Commission Spokesperson Blames Veterinary Organization for Spread of Crimean-Congo Fever

The spokesperson for the Health and Treatment Commission of the Parliament stated: "Crimean-Congo fever has spread due to the lack of oversight by officials from the Veterinary Organization and the Agricultural Jihad." At the same time, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education spoke of the disease being under control in Iran. According to Mehr News Agency, Mohammad Naim Aminifard, the spokesperson for the Health and Treatment Commission, on Tuesday, June 8, emphasized that controlling the entry points of smuggled livestock into Iran and slaughterhouses is the responsibility of the Veterinary Organization and said: "People should also pay attention to certain points when consuming fresh meat. For example, the culture of not slaughtering livestock by individuals themselves should be considered." Meanwhile, Iraj Harirchi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education, said in a press conference on Tuesday that this disease has been observed every spring and summer in Iran for the past 20 years, and the cases this year are fewer than in previous years. According to Mr. Harirchi, "Cases of this disease are treated with timely diagnosis and the use of expensive medications available to the Ministry of Health." Crimean-Congo fever is associated with fever and bleeding and is transmitted through ticks and contact with infected livestock and individuals. The virus responsible for this disease was first identified in the Crimea and Congo regions, hence the name Crimean-Congo fever. According to statements from Iranian health officials, at least 31 people have contracted Crimean-Congo fever since the beginning of this year, with two fatalities reported in Hormozgan and Kermanshah provinces. Health officials state that these two died due to "delays in referral to a treatment center." Recently, images and videos of the burial ceremony of a person suspected of having Crimean-Congo fever in Mobarakeh city, Isfahan province, were published, showing the body placed in a compressed plastic coffin and buried three meters deep without public attendance, covered with lime mortar. Following the publication of these images, Kianoush Jahanpour, the public relations manager of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, stated that this individual was suspected of having the disease and that they have not yet received an official response from the Pasteur Institute. Jahanpour noted that all health and safety protocols were followed during the burial. He also mentioned that two suspected Crimean-Congo fever patients in Isfahan hospitals are recovering. Mohammad Mehdi Gooya, head of the Center for Management of Infectious Diseases at the Ministry of Health, stated on Sunday, June 7, in an interview with Tasnim News Agency that in a "rare incident" due to a technical problem in the cold storage of the Zahedan slaughterhouse, 19 people contracted Crimean-Congo fever. According to Mr. Gooya, the meat of slaughtered livestock must remain in cold storage for at least 24 hours after slaughter to eliminate the risk of disease transmission, but due to a technical failure in the cold storage, this was not done, and these workers contracted the disease and "ultimately recovered." The tick is the main vector for the virus. Mr. Gooya stated that this disease is asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic in livestock. The bite of a tick that commonly exists on the body of livestock transmits the virus to itself. If this tick bites a human, it infects them with the disease. Karim Amiri, deputy head of the Animal Health and Disease Management Office of the Veterinary Organization, advised villagers to "avoid settling in areas where livestock are present" and to carefully check their bodies and wear "light-colored clothing" to easily spot any ticks on their clothes. He also urged people to "never remove ticks from livestock with their hands" and to apply pesticides as soon as they see a tick. This official from the Veterinary Organization urged those working in slaughterhouses to adhere to personal safety measures and to always use "gloves and goggles" during slaughter. According to Mr. Amiri, the virus of this disease dies outside the body; thus, carcasses slaughtered in slaughterhouses must be kept in a "cold room" at a temperature of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius for at least 24 hours before reaching consumers to eliminate any virus present in the carcass. He stated that carcasses that are illegally slaughtered in streets and homes without undergoing this process can be harmful to human health.