Karachi reports another Congo virus case

Karachi: Another case of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) has been confirmed in Karachi after a 22-year-old man tested positive for the virus.

According to hospital officials, Rahmatullah, a resident of Quetta, was transferred to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) in Karachi after developing a high fever and suffering from nosebleeds.

The hospital administration said the patient was found to have critically low platelet and haemoglobin levels upon admission.

Laboratory testing later confirmed the presence of the Crimean-Congo virus, with the patient's PCR test returning positive.

Following confirmation of the infection, the patient was transferred to the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital for specialised treatment and further medical care.

According to the World Health Organisation, the CCHF virus causes severe viral haemorrhagic fever outbreaks. They have a case fatality rate of up to 40 per cent.

The virus is primarily transmitted to people from ticks and livestock animals. Human-to-human transmission can occur resulting from close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected persons.

CCHF is endemic in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and Asia, in countries south of the 50th parallel north.