Congo fever warning falls on deaf ears

Peshawar’s district administration takes action for few days only on health department’s advisory

PESHAWAR: Despite the fact that the provincial health department has already issued alert besides shared precautionary measures on protection against Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever, the preventive actions however seem confined to the provincial capital alone.

The provincial health department shared detailed recommendations on Congo fever asking officials concerned to take necessary steps so that the general public adopted precautionary measures on protection against the deadly fever.



The department, around a week ago, shared that significant number of Congo fever cases reported across the province every year with the affected districts include Peshawar, Karak, Lakki Marwat, and Bannu. However, cases have been reported from districts Mansehra and Abbottabad as well.

The department shared that the disease could spread to humans either by tick-bites, or through contact with disease-infected animal tissues during and immediately post-slaughter and advised using acaricides (pesticides designed for ticks and mites).

As Eidul Adha is right ahead where sacrificial animals are being sold at different locations across the district and with the communiqué shared with all the relevant officials, the Peshawar’s district administration visited different animal markets and sprayed animals.

However, the spraying and checking was done for few days only day and that too at a few cattle markets leaving behind dozens of others across the district with many being run illegally and unapproved by the district administration, official sources and cattle vendors told The Express Tribune.

“This [animal markets] does not fall with ambit of the livestock department and it is the district administration which allows or gives permission for cattle markets,” an official from the livestock department informed.

The official, who wished anonymity since he was not authorised to speak to media, said the district administration did a good job but for one day. The buying and selling of sacrificial animals was still underway, but the officials checking and spraying animals for Congo virus were not visiting the cattle markets.

Another official of the same department said that owing to huge influx of sacrificial animals, traders find it difficult to accommodate them all at approved places, which was why illegal markets sprout up ahead of Eidul Azha.



The district administration than jumps into action and goes about shutting these markets, he said. The point is, if the admin can shut illegal markets, why cannot it spray cattle parked there, the official said.

Even on Saturday, district administration officials visited illegal cattle markets and according to a statement issued by the district administration, 26 people were arrested for running illegal cattle markets besides overcharging customers.

The civil authorities however did not spray animals to kill the ticks that carry Congo virus as per advisory shared by the health department. Peshawar’s deputy commissioner however could not be reached for an official version despite repeated attempts.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 19^th, 2018.