Three more diagnosed with Congo virus

Of the 12 cases reported this year, the virus has claimed 10 lives

KARACHI: The number of Congo virus cases are exceeding rapidly with as many as three cases reported on Sunday. Of the cases reported in 2019, 10 people have died of the virus. The situation has been exacerbated by the lack of cleanliness in the city which has worsened after Eidul Azha and the recent monsoon rains.

The offal of sacrificial animals is still lying on roads in Malir, New Karachi, Sohrab Goth, Korangi, Orangi Town, Soldier Bazaar and other areas of the city. The negligence of the provincial and local governments ineffective waste disposal has only added to the rapid spread of Congo virus as well as other diseases.

The three Congo virus patients reported on Sunday were shifted to Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital and Ziauddin Hospital. They were identified as Muhammad Hamza, 46, son of Tayab, resident of Lasi Goth, New Karachi, Nawab Ali, 40, son of Mango Gabol, resident of Khamiso Goth, and Qamar Shah, 17, son of Barkat, resident of Sohrab Goth.

Hamza and Ali were shifted to Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital where the medical superintendent (MS) said that the patients were bleeding from various parts of their bodies when they arrived at the hospital. MS Dr Khadim Hussain said that both the patients have been admitted to the hospital's isolation ward and are undergoing treatment.

The virus claimed the lives of 10 of the 12 people whose cases were reported this year.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 19^th, 2019.