History
The first case of Hemorrhagic fever was described by Sage Jorjani in Iran in 1731. In later years, other scientists such as Dr. Assefi, Dr. Karimi (Pasteur Institute of Iran), Dr. Ardouan, Professor Soro (Pasteur Institute of France) and Dr. Saeedi have published data on this disease. In the late1990s, some suspected cases of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever were observed in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province and the samples were sent to National Institute of Infectious Diseases in South Africa which reported them as Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) positive. Immediately, as a response to this outbreak, laboratory of Arboviruses and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (National. Ref. Lab) established in Pasteur Institute of Iran in 2000 as a part of National Expert Committee on Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers.
Activities in Progress
- As National Reference Laboratory, we receive all the suspected human samples for Arboviral diseases and Viral Hemorrhagic fevers including Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), Denuge Fever, Rift Valley Fever and West Nile Fever from all over the country. The samples are investigated by serological and molecular assays. The results are reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Among Viral Hemorrhagic fevers, CCHF is the main problem in Iran. CCHF has been considered as the most important tick-borne viral disease of humans and is endemic across a huge geographic area: From western China to the Middle East and southeastern Europe and throughout most of Africa.
In Iran, the CCHF has been reported in 26 of the country's 31 provinces, with the greatest number of cases in Sistan & Baluchistan, Isfahan, and Khorasan razavi provinces.
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| Geographical Distribution of Confirmed CCHF Cases from June 2000 to February 2015, Iran |
2. As a member of the National Expert Committee on VHFs, in collaboration with Veterinary Organization of Iran, we receive all livestock’s samples (mainly Bovine, Ovine and Caprine) from endemic areas throughout the country.
3. Research on different aspects of Arboviruses and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers is one of the main activities of this department. We design and conduct national and international research projects.
4. This department involves in PhD, MD, DVM and MSc dissertations in collaboration with different universities and research institutes.
5. This department already has valuable collaborations with prominent Institutes and universities in Iran, other countries and other international organizations.
Future Activities
- Expansion of physical space of the department along with qualitative improvement of biosafety and using updated methods to detect new Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers in Iran.
2. Development of a new laboratory for virus isolation and antigen production to design new diagnostic kits and vaccine production.
3. Investigation and research on pathogenesis of Arboviral diseases and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers.
4. Collaboration in national and international projects.
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