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Initial high rate of misdiagnosis in Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever patients in an endemic region of Turkey

SUMMARY Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) has been an emerging tick-borne infection in some parts of Turkey since 2002, with a number of fatalities. Many of the initial non-specific symptoms of CCHF can mimic other common infections. Additionally, the seasonal pattern of the epidemic, and the waning attention of healthcare workers to the yearly index cases caused some delays in appropriate patient care and treatment. Between March 2004 and August 2008, 140 confirmed adult cases were evaluated retrospectively for initial diagnosis and treatment delays. This study clearly demonstrated that there are particular delays (4·8 days) in the referral system to initiate effective antiviral treatment in the tertiary-care centre which significantly affect fatality rates (P>0·05). A large number of patients (n=95, 68%) received an initial misdiagnosis of various infections other than CCHF. In conclusion, continuous medical education regarding CCHF in the epidemic area is essential in order to achieve a better survival rate from this deadly infection.