Karachi records 5 of Sindh’s 6 Congo virus deaths this year as toll rises

KARACHI: The Congo virus has claimed six lives across Sindh so far this year, five of them in Karachi, as a 28-year-old butcher became the latest victim of the disease, medically known as Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF).

The man was admitted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre two days back with complaints of high fever and abdominal pain, the hospital management said. The recent casualty marked the fifth confirmed fatality from the Congo virus in Karachi this year.

According to the Sindh health department, five of the six deaths were reported from Karachi’s Malir district and one from Thatta. Two people died in June, two in Malir and one in Thatta, while one death was reported in each of July, August and September.

The patient was reportedly a butcher by profession, which likely exposed him to infected animals, a common source of transmission for the CCHF virus.

According to the hospital management, the diagnosis of Congo virus was confirmed earlier this morning, based on laboratory test results. Despite medical efforts, the patient's condition deteriorated, and he succumbed to the illness.

Earlier in June, Zubair, a 26-year-old man from Karachi’s Ibrahim Hyderi and a 42-year-old man from Malir died of the disease.

The Congo virus can be transmitted through tick bites or through contact with the blood or tissues of infected animals, particularly during slaughter. There is currently no vaccine available.

Medical experts have urged the public, especially those involved in animal handling and slaughtering, to take precautionary measures, such as wearing gloves and protective clothing.