Animals with ticks can cause Congo fever: experts

LAHORE :Congo fever is taken as fatal disease and it can be avoided only by adopting precautionary measures. 

Post Graduate Medical Institute Principal Prof Ghias un Nabi Tayyab said this during a symposium held at PINS Building of Lahore General Hospital on Thursday to create awareness about Congo Crimean Hemorrhagic fever,. He said no vaccine has been developed so far in this regard. He said it should be ensured that sacrificial animals did not have ticks in their hides.

Prof Imran Hassan Khan, Prof Khalid Waheed, Dr Sadaf Munir and Dr Syed Razi Haider Zaidi also addressed the event and highlighted the complications of Congo virus and suggested different steps to prevent from the epidemic disease.

They also threw light on the measures to prevent its spread. Medical experts, medical students, media persons, nursing students and general public attended the seminar.

Prof Ghias un Nabi Tayyab said that Congo fever was an epidemic, of which correct name in medical terminology was “Congo Crimean Hemorrhagic fever” and it was more lethal than cancer which grew in the skin of goats and other animals.

He said, "We should be careful at Eidul Azha on touching such animals having tucks in their skin and adopt maximum preventive measures.

Congo virus is inhabitant of African countries which is created from tucks living in the skins of goats, cows, buffalos and camels. These tucks live in the blood of these animals which on touching can transfer to the human beings, he added.

Talking about the symptoms of Congo patients, he said they suffered from nuisance, fever, hunger, weakness and swelling of eyes and their white cells decreased quickly and start of bleeding which ended on death of the patient. He said that Congo was fast spreading disease all over the world.

The medical experts said that after diagnosis of the disease, patients and their attendants should have to be careful and wear light colour dresses and gowns, gloves and masks.

They suggested elimination of ticks and doing spray at the places where animals were kept. Children should avoid touching the animals. Keeping in view Eidul Azha, special measures should be taken to keep the surrounding clean.

Speakers appreciated the holding of the seminar and said that this practice should continue in other hospitals too.

pipelines: Provincial Minister for Environment Protection Begum Zakia Shahnawaz has said that Environment Protection Department compels other departments concerned to remove rusty and shabby pipelines for better human health because old rusted water pipes provide an ideal breeding ground for microorganism, including bacteria and algae.

The microbe growth in water distribution pipes poses a direct risk to public health, she said while addressing a seminar, according to a handout issued here on Thursday.

She said that the most common water related infections were diarrhea, dysentery, gastroenteritis and skin infections.

Token system: Various matters related to putting Pakistan Railways on modern lines came under discussion during a meeting of the restructuring committee held at the Railway Headquarters on Thursday.  

The meeting was chaired by the convener of the committee, Maqsood-un-Nabi. All divisional commercial officers participated in the meeting. The convener suggested adoption of token system, like the one being practiced in banks, at reservation offices across the country.

He also reminded the participants that making policy and subsequently its implementation was their core duty. Maqsood said that fresh courses for reservation staff would be arranged to facilitate the general public.