Characteristics of patients with Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in a recent outbreak in Turkey and impact of oral ribavirin therapy

We describe the epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory findings and the role of ribavirin therapy for 35 patients who received a diagnosis of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF). All patients had immunoglobulin M antibodies and/or PCR results positive for CCHF virus in blood or tissue specimens. Eighty-six percent of the patients were considered to have severe cases of CCHF. The overall case-fatality rate was 2.8%. Eight patients were given ribavirin, and all 8 survived. We suggest using ribavirin to treat patients with CCHF, particularly those with severe cases.