Overview
- The regional health authority in Castilla y León confirmed on Friday that an 84-year-old man from Salamanca tested positive for Crimea‑Congo hemorrhagic fever, was moved to Hospital Gómez Ulla in Madrid, and died the same day.
- Tests at Barcelona’s Hospital Clínic for a separate suspected case came back negative and the patient is stable as clinicians continue to seek an alternate diagnosis.
- Castilla y León carries out active tick surveillance and examines about 2,000 ticks removed from people each year, a program officials credit with finding more cases in the region.
- Public health teams have identified and are monitoring contacts of the Salamanca patient, hospitals are using isolation and protective gear for staff, and authorities are urging people to use repellents, wear protective clothing, and remove ticks promptly.
- Crimea‑Congo hemorrhagic fever is a viral illness spread mainly by Hyalomma tick bites that can also transmit through contact with an infected person’s blood or fluids, Spain first detected the virus in ticks in 2010 and has recorded human cases since 2016.