Press TV - Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) has killed one person in southeastern Iran over the past two months, Abbas Abbasi of Iran Veterinary Organization said on Sunday.

The fatality occurred in Sistan-and-Baluchestan Province, with two more deaths also unofficially reported in Isfahan Province and the western province of Kermanshah via social media, he said.

People mainly contract the CCHF virus from infected ticks or contact with infected animal blood and tissue. Abbasi said those people whose profession has to do with livestock or processing of meat products are susceptible.

Shepherds, people working at slaughterhouses, butchers, and distributors are at risk, while nurses dealing with CCHF patients could also contract the virus.

There are no vaccines available to immunize animals but precautionary measures include disinfection of livestock pens, submerging livestock in solutions for decontamination, and meat packaging safeguards.

Besides, he advised the public to purchase meat from dependable outlets and avoid purchases from unregistered sources.

In 2015, the disease took the lives of three people in Iran, which neighbors Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq where the virus has had a presence.

According to the World Health Organization, CCHF's mortality rate is about 30 percent and is endemic to Africa, the Balkans and Ukraine, the Middle East and Central Asia.

CCHF was first detected in the Crimea in 1944 and then in the Congo in 1969. In 2011, it was detected for the first time in ticks in Spain.