Suspected Congo virus case reported in Booni
BOONI: A suspected Congo virus case has been reported to a local hospital but results of the laboratory tests on samples collected from the patient to confirm the disease are awaited.
The suspected patient is said to be an Afghan national and works in Booni as a butcher. Taking notice of the case, Assistant Commissioner Mastuj Inayatullah sealed two butcehr shops in the Booni bazaar in the presence of the medical superintendent of the tehsil headquarters (THQ) hospital Booni.
The butchers were directed to get all their family members tested in the THQ or other hospitals.
The Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a widespread tick-borne viral disease that affects human. It is endemic in Africa, Asia – particularly Central Asia and eastern and southern Europe. There is no specific treatment or vaccine for CCHF which is considered an emerging zoonotic disease in many countries.
CCHF can spread from the bite of an infected tick, contact with the blood or bodily secretions of infected animals and from infected humans to other humans.
It is an occupational hazardous disease; livestock farmers, abattoir workers, butchers and veterinary and para-veterinary staff are at high risk of contracting the disease.