Congo fever advisory

Islamabad: The Field Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Division (FEDSD) of the National Institute of Health (NIH) has issued, ahead of Eid, an advisory for prevention and control of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), which is transmitted to people either by tick bites or through contact with infected animal blood or tissues during and immediately after slaughter.

The objective of this advisory is to sensitize human and animal health care authorities to further strengthen and improve the level of preparedness in prevention and control of CCHF. According to the advisory, CCHF is a widespread disease caused by a tick-borne virus (Nairovirus) of the Bunyaviridae family with a case fatality rate of 100-40%. Ticks, especially of the Hyalomma genus, are both reservoir and vector for the CCHF virus.