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
Pakistan says 13 militants killed in counterterror operations in northwest
- Security forces kill 13 militants in northwestern Bannu and Mohmand districts, says military’s media wing
- Military vows to continue action against militants at “full pace” to eliminate “foreign-sponsored terrorism“
PESHAWAR: Security forces killed 13 militants affiliated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or Pakistani Taliban this week in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province during two counterterror operations, the military’s media wing said on Sunday.
The first of the two operations, which took place on Dec. 12-13, was carried out in KP’s Mohmand district. Seven militants belonging to the TTP were killed during the operation, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
The second operation took place in Bannu district where six militants were killed. The ISPR said security forces were carrying out sanitization operations in the area to eliminate any more “Indian-sponsored kharji” in the area.
“Security Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country,” the ISPR vowed.
Pakistan’s military frequently uses the term “khawarij” to describe the TTP. It accuses India of arming and funding militant groups in KP and Balochistan provinces, charges that New Delhi has denied.
Islamabad alleges that TTP militants and other outfits plan militant attacks on Pakistan from Afghanistan and enjoy sanctuary in the country.
Kabul rejects these allegations and says it cannot be held responsible for Pakistan’s security, which it says is Islamabad’s internal matter.
These allegations have triggered tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, resulting in deadly border clashes in October that killed dozens of soldiers.
