A female patient made Turkish medical history as the first patient to be infected with both the coronavirus and Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), a zoonotic virus, at the same time. She also managed to recover from both.
The woman, in her 60s and identified only as I.D., was recently admitted to the hospital at Karadeniz Technical University (KTÜ) in the northern province of Trabzon. She had symptoms including high fever, fatigue and respiratory failure. Experts say though rare, it may become more common as the coronavirus pandemic continues, along with CCHF, which killed 13 people across the country this year.
Professor Selçuk Kaya, head of the infectious diseases department at the university, says they were double-checking patients who had both the coronavirus and the tick-borne disease, noting that both show similar symptoms.
“The patient was admitted 10 days ago with a preliminary diagnosis of COVID-19. We were already on alert for CCHF as this is a region where CCHF cases are common, especially in high-altitude areas in (regional) provinces of Gümüşhane, Bayburt and Giresun. When she was diagnosed with both, we launched a treatment process, first for COVID-19 and then supportive therapy for CCHF. In 10 days, her blood levels and overall health were back to normal and she did not need intensive care,” Kaya said.
Kaya said it was inevitable to come across such a case when both diseases were prevalent in the region but it was important to diagnose it correctly. “Without extra attention, she would be applied treatment only for COVID-19,” he added.
