Pakistan Reports 13th Case Of Congo Virus | All You Need To Know About CCHF, Its Symptoms

Citing sources, ARY News reported that the patient has been identified as a 32-year-old resident of Qila Saifullah district of Balochistan. The patient is currently admitted to Fatima Jinnah Hospital.

ARY News further added that this Congo Virus has already claimed one life on the South Asian country. The deceased has been identified as an 18-year-old male from Peshawar.

In May, the National Institute of Health in Pakistan had already issued a warning regarding the outbreak of the Congo Virus and called for its prevention.

What Is Congo Virus?

Congo Virus, also known as the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever or CCHF, is a severe viral hemorrhagic fever caused by Nairovirus - which is a tick-borne virus.

CCHF is caused by the Nairovirus of the Bunyaviridae family and has a fatality rate of 10 to 40 percent.

The virus is carried by animals such as cattle, goats, sheep and hares and is transferred to humans through tick bites or contact with infected blood during or after slaughter.

As per the World Health Organisation, CCHF is already endemic in Africa, the Balkan Region, Middle East and several Asian countries.

Congo Virus And Its Symptoms

As per WHO, the symptoms of CCHF depend on the mode of acquisition of the virus after the tick-bite. The symptoms take around one to three days or a maximum of nine days to spread.

Some of the symptoms are -

• High fever

• Myalgia or muscle aches

• Dizziness

• Neck pain

• Stiffness

• Backache

• Headache

• Sore eyes

• Photophobia or sensitivity to light

• Nausea

• Vomiting

• Diarrhoea

• Abdominal pain

• Sore throat

• Sharp mood swings and confusion

• Excessive sleepiness

• Depression and lassitude

• Abdominal pain

Some of the severe signs include -

• Tachycardia or fast heart rate

• Lymphadenopathy or enlarged lymph nodes

• Petechial rash, which may give way to larger rashes called ecchymoses, and other hemorrhagic phenomena.

• Hepatitis

• Rapid kidney deterioration

As per WHO, the mortality rate from CCHF is around 30 percent. Patients who recover from the virus tend to improve from the ninth or tenth day of the illness.

One can protect themselves from the Congo Virus by wearing protective clothing. wearing light coloured clothing to help the detection of ticks, tick repellents on skin, control tick infestations in animals and avoid areas where ticks are common and during tick season.