Congo fever very similar to dengue, say experts

LAHORE:Health Experts have said that the risk of Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV), transmitted by biting a person with ticks on the skin of an infected animal has increased.

In an awareness seminar on Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, organised by the IPH here Friday, they informed the participants about the symptoms of Crimean Congo fever, precautionary and protective measures for doctors as well as nurses treating infected patients in the hospital (if any). They urged the people to be satisfied when buying sacrificial animals so that there would be no ticks on the animals/cattles bodies. Experts said, “If the blood of an animal infected with Congo virus is mixed with a wound on a person’s hand/body, the virus could be transmitted to the person concerned, so it was important to be very careful when slaughtering animals so protect themselves from being stabbed/cut with a knife”.“The symptoms of Congo hemorrhagic fever are very similar to dengue, but Congo virus is very dangerous for human life as it starts bleeding at very initial stage”, they added.