TEHRAN - Health Minister Hassan Qazizdeh Hashemi has assured Iranians not to be worried about the Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), saying proper monitoring and controlling measures have been taken to tackle the issue, ISNA reported on Friday.

Qazizdeh Hashemi who was making the remarks on the sidelines of his one-day trip to Pakdasht County in southeast of Tehran, called on people not to pay attention to rumors in this regard.

The health minister added that if there is any risk of CCHF in the country, citizens will be informed via local or national media.

“The Veterinary Organization, Agriculture Ministry and our colleagues in health facilities have control over cases infected by the fever,” the minister insisted.

Recently Press TV, quoting Health Ministry official Mohammad Reza Shirzadi, reported three deaths have occurred as a result of CCHF. The losses were recorded in the western province of Kermanshah, Khorasan Razavi in the northeast, and Mazandaran Province in the north.

A total of nine people, according to Press TV, were diagnosed with the disease since the current Iranian calendar year started on March 21.

CCHF is a widespread disease caused by a tick-borne virus (Nairovirus) of the Bunyaviridae family. The CCHF virus causes severe viral haemorrhagic fever outbreaks, with a case fatality rate of 10–40%.

CCHF is endemic in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and Asian countries south of the 50th parallel north.