Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) was confirmed in two under-treatment patients in Civil Hospital Karachi, it was learnt on Wednesday.
An official of Civil Hospital Karachi confirmed that two patients with high-grade fever were brought in the general ward of hospital for treatment about a week ago and their blood samples were sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad.
He said the NIH report confirmed that both the patients, 60-year-old Baqir Naqvi and Naseem were suffering from Congo fever. He said Baqir Naqvi was isolated from the other patient, while Naseem was discharged from the hospital even before confirmation report was received to the hospital administration as his condition improved.
He said Congo is a deadly viral disease spread through a tick-bite found on animals. He said people who deal with dairy farming and livestock were most likely to catch the disease. He said symptoms of Congo virus were high-fever, dizziness, neck pain, backache, muscle aches, sore eyes, nausea, and vomiting and stomach pain. He said these symptoms of disease generally appear three to four days after exposure to ticks.
He said panic was spreading among admitted patients, doctors, nurses and paramedical staff after hearing the news that two Congo patients remained with them in the general ward. He said patients with dengue, Congo and other hemorrhagic fevers must be kept in isolation ward as these viral diseases can transforms into other patients if strict protective step are not taken.
Medical Superintendent, Prof Saeed Qureshi, when contacted, said Congo fever was confirmed in two male admitted patients on January 13 evening and a patient isolated from other patients. He, however, said that the hospital administration contacted with Naseem, a patient who was discharged from healthcare, but he refused to return back and said: “he is better now”.
