Urgent warning to holidaymakers as woman dies of eye-bleeding disease – the 13 signs you must know

BRITS heading across the channel this August have been warned of an outbreak of one of the world’s deadliest diseases.

It comes as one person died after contracting Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in North Macadonia, which can cause patients’ eyes to bleed.

GettyClose up shot of a very red and bloodshot eye, Taken with a macro lens, the image shows an abstract pattern of blood swirls within the eye.[/caption]

Health officials are trying to stop the tick-borne virus from spreading.

The disease kills up to 40 per cent of infected people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Some 67 of her contacts have already been tracked down, with the bug able to pass from human-to-human contact by blood or bodily fluids.

The 27-year-old female was suspected of catching the bug from a tick bite on July 19 2023, while in the eastern part of the country, Štip.

According to the Institute of Public Health of the Republic of North Macedonia, she was hospitalised on July 23 after developing flu-like signs, which quickly turned into typical symptoms of CCHF.

CCHF symptoms include fever, muscle ache, dizziness, light sensitivity and vomiting and it can lead to organ failure and internal bleeding.

She died on July 27 – only after which the disease was confirmed.

The disease was first found in Crimea in 1944 and is now endemic to Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and some Asian countries.

But scientists fear the disease could be expanding out of its usual territories and moving towards the likes of Britain and France due to global warming.

Between 2016 to August 2022 seven cases were reported in Spain, three of which died.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) listed CCHF as one of nine “priority diseases” that pose the biggest threat to public health in May.

During a Parliament’s Science, Innovation and Technology Committee meeting in July, experts warned it is “highly likely” the disease could soon reach Britain.

Previously, professor James Wood, head of veterinary medicine at Cambridge University, said CCHF may travel to Britain “through our ticks at some point”.

A report published in June revealed disease-ridden mosquitoes – carrying several diseases including Rift Valley fever – were found in 26 European countries.

Other diseases on the watch list include dengue fever, chikungunya, West Nile disease, yellow fever and Zika.

  Read More