KARACHI: A 25-year-old fisherman has died from Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) in Karachi, health authorities confirmed on Thursday, marking Pakistan’s second fatality from the tick-borne virus this year.
The patient, Mohammad Zubair, a resident of Qur’angi Creek in Bin Qasim Town, butchered animals for two days during Eid Al-Adha earlier this month and developed high-grade fever, muscle pain and bleeding complications days later, according to a report by the District Health Officer (DHO) Malir.
“Active search of case was done surrounding that area, no any other case was found,” the official notification said, adding that Zubair’s family members were stable and showing no symptoms of the disease.
This comes just days after a 42-year-old man, also from Karachi’s Malir district, died of CCHF on June 17. According to the Sindh Health Department, his test report came back positive a day earlier, making him the province’s first confirmed fatality from the virus this year.
The Congo virus, which has a fatality rate ranging between 10 to 40 percent depending on timely treatment and the patient’s condition, is endemic in parts of Africa, Europe and Asia. In Pakistan, infections often spike around Eid Al-Adha, when millions of animals are bought, transported and slaughtered, increasing human exposure to infected ticks and animal blood.
Local health teams have carried out community awareness sessions in Karachi’s affected areas and advised residents to use protective clothing and follow hygiene measures when handling livestock.
There is currently no approved vaccine for the Congo virus, though experimental trials are underway in Europe.
Pakistan reported its first case of CCHF in 1976 and continues to see sporadic outbreaks, particularly in rural areas and provinces like Balochistan, which recorded 23 cases and five deaths last year.
