QUETTA: Officials in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province confirmed a case of Congo virus on Friday, with health authorities across the country already on alert amid an ongoing mpox outbreak in various parts of the world.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the fatality rate for Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), commonly known as the Congo virus, ranges from 10 percent to 40 percent.
This implies that out of every 100 infected people, between 10 and 40 may succumb to the illness, depending on factors such as the quality of health care, the timeliness of treatment and the patient’s overall health condition.
The disease is primarily transmitted through tick bites or contact with infected animal blood or tissues, with the virus being endemic in parts of Africa, Europe and Asia.
A senior doctor at Quetta’s Fatima Jinnah Chest Hospital told Arab News that a 14-year-old boy, Siraj Ahmed, from Khanozai, 77 kilometers from Quetta, has tested positive for the virus.
“The infected patient is being treated in the Congo isolation ward, but we have another suspected Congo patient whose report is yet to be confirmed,” Dr. Zubair Mandokhail, deputy medical superintendent at the facility, said.
Balochistan has reported 23 cases of Congo fever this year, with five deaths attributed to the disease since January.
Most Congo cases are diagnosed in the province during the summer season, according to local medical practitioners.
The likelihood of its spread increases around Eid Al-Adha, an Islamic festival celebrated after the annual Hajj pilgrimage when people buy and slaughter animals in large numbers.
Many Afghan patients infected by the virus also travel to Quetta for better treatment and medical care.
Dr. Ali Ahmed Reki, the medical superintendent at Fatima Jinnah Chest Hospital, said doctors had handled nearly 45 suspected Congo cases this year, of which 23 had tested positive.
“We have been receiving suspected patients in routine but the number of cases rises during Eid Al-Adha when a majority people visit cattle markets to buy sacrificial animals,” he told Arab News.
Congo virus case reported in southwest Pakistan amid high alert for mpox outbreak
https://arab.news/g9g8w
Congo virus case reported in southwest Pakistan amid high alert for mpox outbreak
- Balochistan has reported 23 cases of Congo fever this year, with five deaths attributed to the disease
- Medical practitioners say most Congo cases are diagnosed in the province during the summer season
IMF warns against policy slippage amid weak recovery as it clears $1.2 billion for Pakistan
- Pakistan rebuilt reserves, cut its deficit and slowed inflation sharply over the past one year
- Fund says climate shocks, energy debt, stalled reforms threaten stability despite recent gains
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s economic recovery remains fragile despite a year of painful stabilization measures that helped pull the country back from the brink of default, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned on Thursday, after it approved a fresh $1.2 billion disbursement under its ongoing loan program.
The approval covers the second review of Pakistan’s Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and the first review of its climate-focused Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), bringing total disbursements since last year to about $3.3 billion.
Pakistan entered the IMF program in September 2024 after years of weak revenues, soaring fiscal deficits, import controls, currency depletion and repeated climate shocks left the economy close to external default. A smaller stopgap arrangement earlier that year helped avert immediate default, but the current 37-month program was designed to restore macroeconomic stability through strict monetary tightening, currency adjustments, subsidy rationalization and aggressive revenue measures.
The IMF’s new review shows that Pakistan has delivered significant gains since then. Growth recovered to 3 percent last year after shrinking the year before. Inflation fell from over 23 percent to low single digits before rising again after this year’s floods. The current account posted its first surplus in 14 years, helped by stronger remittances and a sharp reduction in imports. And the government delivered a primary budget surplus of 1.3 percent of GDP, a key program requirement. Foreign exchange reserves, which had dropped dangerously low in 2023, rose from US$9.4 billion to US$14.5 billion by June.
“Pakistan’s reform implementation under the EFF arrangement has helped preserve macroeconomic stability in the face of several recent shocks,” IMF Deputy Managing Director Nigel Clarke said in a statement after the Board meeting.
But he warned that Islamabad must “maintain prudent policies” and accelerate reforms needed for private-sector-led and sustainable growth.
The Fund noted that the 2025 monsoon floods, affecting nearly seven million people, damaging housing, livestock and key crops, and displacing more than four million, have set back the recovery. The IMF now expects GDP growth in FY26 to be slightly lower and forecasts inflation to rise to 8–10 percent in the coming months as food prices adjust.
The review warns Pakistan against relaxing monetary or fiscal discipline prematurely. It urges the State Bank to keep policy “appropriately tight,” allow exchange-rate flexibility and improve communication. Islamabad must also continue raising revenues, broadening the tax base and protecting social spending, the Fund said.
Despite the progress, Pakistan’s structural weaknesses remain severe.
Power-sector circular debt stands at about $5.7 billion, and gas-sector arrears have climbed to $11.3 billion despite tariff adjustments. Reform of state-owned enterprises has slowed, including delays in privatizing loss-making electricity distributors and Pakistan International Airlines. Key governance and anti-corruption reforms have also been pushed back.
The IMF welcomed Pakistan’s expansion of its flagship Benazir Income Support Program, which raises cash transfers for low-income families and expands coverage, saying social protection is essential as climate shocks intensify. But it warned that high public debt, about 72 percent of GDP, thin external buffers and climate exposure leave the country vulnerable if reform momentum weakens.
The Fund said Pakistan’s challenge now is to convert short-term stabilization into sustained recovery after years of economic volatility, with its ability to maintain discipline, rather than the size of external financing alone, determining the durability of its gains.
