Alarm bells as year’s first Congo fever case emerges

Patient admitted to Mayo Hospital after Sheikh Zayed, Jinnah hospitals’ refusal

LAHORE: The year’s first confirmed case of Congo fever emerged on Wednesday with a patient at Mayo Hospital testing positive for the tick-borne viral disease.

After Eidul Azha many suspected cases of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever were reported at hospitals across Lahore, but the first case of 2016 has been confirmed by the National Institute of Health, Islamabad.



Amanat, a resident of Okara, is said to have contracted the disease in Karachi. He was first taken to Sheikh Zayed Hospital and then to Jinnah Hospital but both the hospitals refused to take him in, despite tall claims by the Sheikh Zayed administration about having isolation wards.



On October 2, Amanat was taken to Mayo Hospital where he was put in the isolation ward. His condition was critical as he had high fever, headache, muscle pain (myalgia) in lower back and thighs and diarrhoea, among other complications, doctors said.

“He has a business of animal farming and according to his case history, he contracted the disease while working in Karachi,” Dr Zafarullah, who is treating Amanat at Mayo Hospital, told The Express Tribune. He admitted that even at Mayo Hospital, there was no proper isolation ward to treat patients of Congo fever. “The health department admitted him in a private room and declared it a Congo ward,” he lamented.

To a question about the vulnerability of doctors treating the patients, Zafarullah said although there was no evidence for airborne transmission of Congo fever, government must provide N95 masks (filters 95% of airborne particles) and follow all the Standard Operating Procedures for the doctors and paramedical staffs.



He added percutaneous exposure (via needle-stick or injuries caused by sharp objects) carries a particularly high risk of transmission. Safe use and disposal of needles and sharp objects must be emphasised.

Govt’s role

“We highly regret that the patient was refused to be taken in by both the hospitals,” Punjab Health Department Communicable Diseases Director Dr Asim said while talking to The Express Tribune. “We have already initiated an enquiry.”

To a question about medics’ exposures during the treatment of the Congo patient, Asim said the doctors, who are treating the Congo patients are highly trained.



“We have already instituted standard contact and droplet infection control precautions and restricted all non-essential staff from the patient-care area,” he said. “We have also maintained a log of persons entering the patient’s room.”

He added they have also limited the number of visitors to only those necessary for the patient’s and care (such as a child’s parent), and ensure that all visitors use personal protective equipment and apply appropriate precautions as per the health care facility’s protocol.

When asked about the Turkey model, Asim said that on Thursday (today) a delegation from Turkey is scheduled to visit Lahore, where we discuss the Turkey model, with which they blocked the Congo epidemic.

Academics’ advise

University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Vice-Chancellor Dr Talat Pasha told The Express Tribune that since Pakistan was an agriculture state, animals were used by humans for business to a great extent.

“We can only control the outbreak Congo fever by starting a rigorous awareness campaign.”

The vice chancellor said that in far-flung areas, there is less chance of messaged reaching about the precautions from Congo fever.

“The government should start a rigorous campaign otherwise the chances of the outbreak of Congo fever will persist.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2016.