Following the death of one person from the Congo virus, 11 more people were reported to have fallen ill, and hospitals in the southern Pakistani provinces of Sindh and Balochistan were put on high alert on Monday, according to a Sindh health official.
Dr. Shukrullah Langove was driven from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, to Aga Khan Hospital in Karachi following his infection with the Congo virus. However, the doctors pronounced him dead when they came on Sunday.
According to Shabbir Ali Babar of the Sindh Health Department, “a high alert has been issued in the province, and hospitals across Sindh have been directed to adopt preventive measures against the virus.” Babar made this announcement to the media.
According to Babar, eleven patients from Balochistan are now undergoing treatment at the Aga Khan Hospital in Karachi.
Babar said, “A special ward at the Infectious Disease Hospital has been established by the Sindh Health Department for Congo patients arriving from Balochistan.”
Meanwhile, the Sindh Health Department issued a health advisory to all hospitals in the province, directing them to take preventative measures against the infection.
Earlier, a Quetta-based doctor who contracted the Congo virus passed away while being transported to Karachi for treatment on Sunday.
Ticks on cattle and other livestock are the main source of human transmission of the hazardous Congo virus, which can cause bleeding at an early stage. The virus can cause symptoms that are similar to dengue fever but can swiftly turn fatal. In order to prevent catching the virus, the health service has encouraged individuals to take preventative measures, including donning protective clothes and applying bug repellent while around cattle.
Experts in medicine caution that there is presently no known vaccination or treatment for the Congo virus, which has a high death rate.
