Prevalence of crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

Background: CCHFV is well recognized as a major public health threat and its prevalence and epidemiological distribution in Pakistan and specifically in KP province is not well documented.
Methods: We used a gold-standard PCR-based diagnostic assay for confirmation of CCHFV among suspected patients. A total of 150 patients were enrolled from June 2022 to September 2022 and their blood samples were collected for PCR confirmation.
Results: The overall positivity rate for CCHFV was 26.67 %, with the virus mostly prevalent in the middle-aged group (21-40 years). In the July of 2022, a significant spike in the prevalence of CCHFV was observed in provincial capital Peshawar with the highest burden (31.57 %).
Conclusion: Our findings indicate the necessity of strengthening CCHFV monitoring programs and intensifying efforts to identify hotspot regions for effective surveillance and control of CCHFV. The months before the Eid-ul-Adha are crucial in the context of CCHFV control.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interests.
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