Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV)

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will address the growing importance of Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), an emerging threat worldwide: Over the last decade, CCHF has become increasingly epidemiologically important worldwide, with a worrying geographical expansion into Europe. Historically endemic to Africa, the Middle East, and Asia below the 50th parallel north, the disease is now spreading to European regions, particularly in the Balkans and the Mediterranean basin, where indigenous cases have been documented. This trend can be explained by several interconnected factors: (i) the expansion of Hyalomma tick populations, the main vectors of the virus, favored by global warming, which is expanding their habitat to new latitudes; (ii) the intensification of trade and livestock movements; and (iii) increased human activity in rural areas. Recent sporadic cases and outbreaks in Iraq, in the Balkans, in Spain, and in Portugal have illustrated the geographic expansion of exposed populations. In Europe, the confirmed presence of CCHFV or CCHFV antibodies in wildlife and livestock and the spread of infected ticks to regions where human cases have not yet been identified (such as two regions in France) indicate an emerging health risk. The combination of international mobility, environmental changes, and fragile surveillance systems in some European regions makes CCHF a public health issue. It also calls for continued scientific studies addressing various aspects, such as epidemiology, entomology, human and animal health, and basic science, as well as countermeasures, such as vaccine candidates, antivirals, and diagnostics, to improve preparedness and responses at the European and international levels.

Prof. Dr. Remi N. Charrel
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.