Helmand Congo virus outbreak prompts alert in KP, FATA

PESHAWAR: In the wake of breaking out of Congo virus in the border areas of neighbouring Afghanistan, Health Ministry has alerted the health departments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA against the fatal virus.

Sources told that the deadly virus broke out in Afghan province Helmand where the germs of Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) had been confirmed in seven persons.

They said that the ministry had directed the provincial health authorities to remain vigilant and collect the data of those Afghan refugees who were under treatment in various hospitals of the province, adding that the authorities had been also directed to send the blood samples of suspected patients of the lethal disease for laboratory test in the federal capital.

Sources revealed that after receiving the alert call all the public sectors hospitals of the province have been directed to take precautionary measures for avoiding the spread of the virus.

Security officials at Torkham border have also been ordered to strictly monitor the movement of refugees at the border.

An endemic tick-borne viral disease, CCHF is transferred to humans through tick bite or through direct contact with blood or other infected tissues from livestock infected with the virus. Symptoms include fever, aching muscles, dizziness, neck pain and stiffness, backache, headache, sore eyes and sensitivity to light.

Other clinical signs that may emerge include fast heart rate, dramatic drop in platelet and white blood cell counts, bleeding from the upper bowel, blood in the urine, nosebleeds, and bleeding from the gums.

The severely ill may develop liver and kidney failure after the fifth day of illness. In patients who recover, improvement generally begins on the ninth or tenth day after the onset of illness