No need to panic about CCHF, must follow preventive measures

Islamabad : There is no need to panic about the suspected appearance of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) on the festive occasion of Eidul Azha instead the need of the time is to create awareness about steps required to be taken individually and by the health departments to stop its human to human transmission, the most deadly feature of the infection.

Despite of threat there is no precedent of an outbreak ever occurring in any part of the country associated with slaughtering of sacrificial animals on Eidul Azha however individuals must adopt preventive measures and not to panic at all, expressed Additional District Health Officer at ICT Health Department Dr. Muhammad Najeeb Durrani while talking to ‘The News’ on Monday.

He said CCHF is caused by the bite of an infected tick found mostly on the skin of animals including goat, sheep and cattle. The animal gets infected by developing fever having virus in its blood and when it is slaughtered, the person slaughtering the animal or the animal handler coming in close contact with the infected animal gets infected.

He said gloves should be used while examining sacrificial animals and children should not be allowed to play with animals. Animals are to be sprayed or washed with DEET insecticide. Community must be vigilant about appearance of disease and should keep an eye on suspected patients that are usually the people living in close contact of animals getting sudden onset of fever with or without bleeding from gums or nose or getting spontaneous hemorrhagic bruises in the skin. Like patients must be taken to the nearest hospital as early as possible, said Dr. Durrani.

He added the most deadly feature of CCHF is its human to human transmission. In most of the cases, a patient’s attendant or health care provider gets the virus inadvertently on his hands and takes to ingest by touching his own mouth, eyes or nose. The virus in this secondary infection starts rapidly multiplying in the new host, he said.

Every person attending the patient is at risk and what is needed is to establish and develop Infection Control Protocols in all health care settings, he said. “We must understand the only measure to stop the spread of disease is by barrier nursing and basic biosafety measures.”

He added the drug of choice available is called Ribavirin. The sooner the medicine is started the better are the chances of survival of a patient, said Dr. Durrani.

He said the required blood samples from the suspected patients must be taken by a trained lab attendant and transported to laboratory in a highly safe triple packing in a carrier reserved for transporting highly contagious material with label.

The disease is endemic in Balochistan in regions having borders with Afghanistan including Loralai, Qila Abdullah, Chaman and Zhob while its cases were also being reported from Karachi, Meerpur, AJK, Peshawar, Multan and Attock. The CCHF has an infrequent incidental appearance that can appear anywhere however most at risk are animal handlers and the health care providers, he said.