British tourists planning trips to Spain have been warned after a deadly virus that can cause multiple organ failure has been detected in the country.
The Foreign Office issued the alert on its dedicated website Travel Health Pro after a case of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) was found in Salamanca.
In an official statement, it said: ‘On 28 May 2025, local health officials have reported a confirmed case of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in Salamanca.
‘The case was exposed via a tick bite.’
CCHF is a tick-borne virus, with mild symptoms such as dizziness, high fever, headache, sore eyes, diarrhoea and muscle pain.
However, more severe effects include bleeding and bruising and can lead to rapid kidney deterioration well as organ failure.
According to the World Health Organisation, the death rate in people who contract the virus is approximately 30 per cent.
Those who do recover notice improvements just over a week later.
British tourists planning trips to Spain have been warned after deadly virus that can cause multiple organ failure has been detected in the country
The Foreign Office issued the alert on their dedicated website Travel Health Pro after a case of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) was found in Salamanca
Travel Health Pro says: ‘In fatal cases, death occurs from haemorrhage, multi-organ failure and shock.
‘It is possible that many people who are infected do not have symptoms, making it difficult to know the true number of cases.”
Treatments for the condition are limited, although doctors have seen some success with the antiviral drug ribavirin which is used to treat hepatitis C.
The disease was first detected in Crimea in 1944 and given the name Crimean haemorrhagic fever.
But in 1969, medics realised the pathogen that triggered this disease was responsible for an illness identified in the Congo in 1956.
This led to the virus being named Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, to encompass both locations.
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