Salamanca confirms case of tick-borne Crimea-Congo hemorrhagic fever in a 68-year-old man
A 68-year-old man in Salamanca province has been diagnosed with Crimea-Congo hemorrhagic fever after a tick bite and was transferred on 14 June to the reference hospital in Madrid, where he remains in stable but serious condition.
The Salamanca case
Health authorities in Castilla y León confirmed on Monday a case of Crimea-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in a 68-year-old man from Salamanca province. He presented at the Complejo Asistencial Universitario de Salamanca with symptoms matching the illness and was transferred on Sunday, 14 June, to the Hospital Gómez Ulla in Madrid, the national reference centre for such high-consequence pathogens. The patient has a confirmed tick bite and is in stable condition, although clinicians describe his state as clinically severe. Isolation and strict protective measures for healthcare workers are in place.
The Epidemiology Section of Salamanca’s territorial health service, together with hospital staff, has traced the man’s close contacts. Those identified are being monitored: they must check their temperature regularly and immediately report any change to the designated epidemiologist. Blood samples were sent to the National Microbiology Center in Majadahonda (Carlos III Health Institute), which confirmed the infection as Crimea-Congo virus.
How the disease spreads
CCHF is caused by a bunyavirus primarily transmitted through the bite of ticks of the genus Hyalomma, a species increasingly established in Spain. Secondary human-to-human transmission is possible through direct contact with infected blood or bodily fluids, a risk that is especially relevant for unprotected health workers. The virus is endemic in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and Asia, according to the World Health Organization. No vaccine is currently available, and the case-fatality rate can reach 40%.
The vectors that transmit it, which are ticks, are in Spain. Migratory birds can transmit the virus, there have been several cases in Castilla y León that later went to Madrid.
The broader picture in Spain
Between 2013 and 2024, Spain recorded 15 confirmed CCHF cases, two of which were fatal (both patients had additional comorbidities). Catalonia has reported no cases so far, but the Ubuntu Team at Hospital Clínic in Barcelona, which handles unknown or high-risk viruses requiring maximum containment, receives between 10 and 20 suspected cases a year that require extreme isolation — including possible CCHF, Lassa fever and Ebola. Around 10% of those suspects end up in the intensive-care isolation unit, and even then a positive result is not guaranteed; samples must be transported in a high-security container to the Carlos III Institute in Madrid for analysis.
Prevention and awareness
Regional health sites now carry detailed guidance on tick-bite prevention. Authorities urge people walking in countryside to wear appropriate clothing and footwear, stick to paths and use repellents on both themselves and pets. Any attached tick should be removed as soon as possible and in the correct manner, ideally by a healthcare professional. Symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle and joint pain, headache, skin colour changes or discharge at the bite site in the days after a tick encounter demand rapid medical attention.
