OMSK hemorrhagic fever (OHF) is an illness caused by an RNA-containing arbovirus of the Togaviridae family Flavivirus, which is antigenically identical to the tick-borne encephalitis virus that mostly affects the western Siberian city of OMSK. Tick bites or contact with an infected or dead animal’s blood, excrement, or urine may cause infection.
Furthermore, the following are at a higher risk of getting the Omsk Hemorrhagic Fever virus.
- People who live in places where ticks and rodent reservoirs are common.
- People who capture and hunt muskrats in OMSK, Siberia.
- Individuals who have work or leisure exposure to outdoor/rural outdoor situations like hunters, campers, farmers, and forest workers, are more likely to come into contact with sick ticks or other animals.