Resident of District Malir diagnosed with Congo virus

Another case of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF), commonly known as Congo virus, has been reported in Karachi as a patient at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JMPC) has been diagnosed with the disease.

Officials at the JPMC confirmed on Sunday that a resident of District Malir had tested positive for Congo virus and was being treated at the hospital.

“Nehal Rahim, a resident of Jam Goth in Malir, was brought to the JPMC in critical condition,” said JPMC Executive Director Dr Seemin Jamali. She added that the patient tested positive for CCHF and was being treated at an isolation ward in the hospital.

Dr Jamali explained that the patient had a history of dealing with animals as he was raising cattle at his residence in the Malir area. She added that most of the CCHF patients acquired the disease due to interaction with animals and cattle.

Another patient of CCHF, Obaid Moosa, was also under treatment at the JPMC, Dr Jamali said, adding that his condition was stable. “So far in 2018, we have received 18 patients of CCHF of whom six died.”

According to health experts, CCHF is a lethal disease with 40 per cent mortality rate. The disease is caused when a person comes in contact with an infected animal, which has parasitic ticks on its body that carry the virus.

Officials of the Sindh health department say so far 11 people have died due to CCHF in Karachi in 2018 while over 100 persons have tested positive for the disease.