Recent surveillance data from Mauritania reveals alarming seroprevalence rates for Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus among domestic livestock. Testing of 380 animals between 2020 and 2021 identified CCHFV antibodies in 17.1% overall, with significant variation by species. Cattle showed the highest infection burden at 19.2%, substantially exceeding the 15.8% rate observed in camels.
These quantitative findings provide epidemiological evidence of active viral circulation within livestock populations across the Sahel. The data suggests that cattle may serve as particularly important hosts in the transmission ecology of CCHFV, warranting targeted surveillance and prevention strategies focused on this species.
Given that CCHFV carries case fatality rates between 10-40% in human infections, these livestock-based prevalence estimates underscore the ongoing zoonotic threat in endemic regions and justify continued monitoring of both animal and human populations.
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