Climate Change Linked to Spread of Deadly Hemorrhagic Virus, Warn Scientists

The viral disease Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), which has a fatality rate of between 10 and 40 percent, is spreading to new countries across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, with recent outbreaks in Iraq, Namibia, and Pakistan. Scientists warn that CCHF is "highly likely" to reach the U.K. due to the effects of climate change, which is causing ticks to move north. CCHF is one of nine "priority diseases" ranked by the World Health Organization as posing the greatest public health risk due to their epidemic potential.