8″ May”2023″ News Agencies
A total of 16 cases of the virus found in Balochistan province since the beginning of the year, of which 11 were detected this month.
As reported, at least two deaths from the Congo virus have been confirmed in Karachi and Quetta.
The first victim was a 20-year-old pregnant Afghan woman, according to the health authorities who passed away on Sunday.
The woman, identified as Gul Naz was brought from Kuchlak with symptoms of the virus and admitted to Quetta’s Fatima Jinnah Chest Hospital.
She was bleeding from her mouth and nose and her blood samples were sent to a laboratory, which confirmed the Congo virus.
The second death was reported in Karachi, where the deceased was a 28-year-old meat seller identified as Mohammad Adil of the Liaquatabad area.
According to the Sindh health department, “Initially, he developed a headache and fever on April 30, which intensified two days later. He was taken to a private hospital where he remained under treatment for a day.”
The patient was initially tested for dengue and malaria, but the results came negative, the official added.
The victim later had episodes of nasal bleeding.
“On May 4, the patient’s condition deteriorated and he was admitted to Ziauddin Hospital in North Nazimabad. He passed away a day later,” a health department official said.
Health authorities have been alerted following the development and urged citizens to take precautions
The symptoms of the Congo virus are similar to those of dengue fever, they can quickly become life-threatening.
It is primarily transmitted to humans by ticks on cattle and other livestock and can cause severe fever, muscle pain, vomiting, and internal bleeding.
The virus has a high fatality rate, and there is currently no vaccine or specific treatment for the virus.
According to the World Health Organization, Congo fever is caused by a tick-borne virus (nairovirus). It sees people suffering from severe viral haemorrhagic fever outbreaks, with a case fatality rate of 10-40 percent
The WHO says the disease is endemic in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and some parts of Asia.
The hosts of the CCHF virus include a wide range of wild and domestic animals such as cattle, sheep, goats and other livestock.
The WHO says the virus is transmitted to people either by tick bites or through contact with infected animal blood or tissues during and immediately after slaughter.
The health body says there is no vaccine available for either people or animals infected with the virus