Seroprevalence of Crimean‐Congo haemorrhagic fever among three selected risk human groups in disease‐endemic region of Pakistan

AbstractThe occurrence of Crimean‐Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in humans is linked with animals living in close vicinity, and information on the incidence of CCHF at the human–animal interface is scarce. Therefore, the current study was designed to identify the high‐risk groups of individuals linked with animals in the Chakwal district of Pakistan having a history of CCHF cases in humans. In subject matter, coupled with risk factor analysis, we performed a sero‐based CCHF surveillance in three selected risk groups of humans including abattoir workers (n = 137), milkmen (n = 169) and animal handlers (n = 147). Sera samples and questionnaire‐based data were collected from each of the participants and screened for anti‐CCHFV IgG antibodies using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. The highest seroprevalence was observed in animal handlers (n = 14, 9.52%, 95% CI: 4.68–13.99) followed by abattoir workers (n = 9, 6.57%, 95% CI: 2.42–10.72) and milkmen (n = 3, 1.78%, 95% CI: 0.24–4.24). The risk of seropositivity was significantly associated with humans linked with tick‐infested animals (OR: 11.0, 95% CI: 1.5–83.0, p = .002), old age >40 years (OR: 6.6, 95% CI: 2.7–16.0, p < .0001), illiteracy (OR: 4.3, 95% CI: 1.5–13.0, p = .004) and humans without knowledge about CCHF (OR: 7.6, 95% CI: 1.8–33.0, p = .0009). The findings of the current study highlighted the seroprevalence of CCHF in high‐risk groups of humans living in a disease‐endemic area of Pakistan and highlight the need for well‐integrated disease surveillance in the future to better comprehend disease control interventions.