Congo virus victim laid to rest

His brother and cousins were later taken to hospital for vaccination

MULTAN: A 16-year-old cattle handler who died on Friday after contracting Congo virus in Karachi was laid to rest at his ancestral village Chak 263-HR, Fort Abbas, in Bahawalnagar district, on Sunday.

Health EDO Abdur Razzaq told journalists that eight people had participated in the funeral. The boy’s relatives told journalists that Allah Ditta had visited Karachi to sell sacrificial animals ahead of Eidul Azha.

There he fell ill and complained of having a high fever. He was taken to a relative’s house.

Later, he started bleeding from the gums. He was then taken to Jinnah Hospital where he passed away. Doctors there said he had been suffering from the deadly Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF).

After the funeral on Sunday, three of his attendants – a brother and two cousins – were shifted to Bahawal Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur to be vaccinated against Congo virus.

Their initial tests were conducted at the Bahawalnagar DHQ Hospital. Razzaq said the three men were being kept at the intensive care unit at Bahawal Victoria Hospital. Speaking to journalists, the health EDO urged citizens not to panic.

“We are taking emergency steps to sort this out,” he said. The total number of people who have died of Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) so far is six.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd,  2016.