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Pakistan

Pakistan: Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) Cases 2016

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CONGO VIRUS IN PAKISTAN

Congo virus is a widespread viral disease that is commonly spread by ticks found on hairy animals. The situation needs extra attention as cattle markets are being set up across the country for public to buy sacrificial animals for the religious occasion of Eid-ul-Azha. Death toll from the Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever or Congo virus in Pakistan has climbed to 19 this year, with five deaths reported in Karachi, twelve in Quetta and two in Bahawalpur.

Symptoms:
Symptoms of this disease include high fever along with pain in joints and other parts of the body, vomiting, diarrhea, some people also exhibit signs of hemorrhage signs. Throat pain is also one of the common discomforts experienced as a symptom of this condition. Bleeding from gums, skin and large intestine may also occur and red spot appears on the body.

Precautionary Measures:
•The government should spray sacrificial animal markets and diseased animals should be banned from entering the cities and isolated to avoid contact
•The waste material of sacrificial animals should be disposed properly.
•Government needs to make isolated wards in every tertiary and secondary care hospital rather than waiting for a case to emerge.
•Government should focus on villages to control the virus from spreading, since the primary outbreak location is where cattle are bred and kept.