Three more Congo virus cases reported in Quetta

Number of confirmed Congo virus cases in Balochistan jumps to 25

QUETTA: Congo virus cases are on the rise in Balochistan with three more suspected patients admitted to Quetta’s Fatima Jinnah Hospital diagnosed with the disease on Saturday.

This took the tally of confirmed Congo virus cases to 25 in Balochistan this year.

The virus has also claimed five lives, according to Dr Sadiq, the head of the ward at the hospital where Congo fever patients are treated.

“Patients hailing from different areas of Quetta and Balochistan have been admitted in the hospital with the symptoms of the virus. We took blood samples and sent those to Karachi, with three new samples testing positive,” Dr Sadiq said, adding that treatment was underway.

In the last four months, 25 patients have been diagnosed with the Congo virus after being admitted to Balochistan's only Congo fever ward. A total of 45 suspected patients have been admitted to the hospital of which five patients have died this year due to the Congo virus, Dr Sadiq said.

The virus, known as the Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCFH), is a tick-borne viral disease that is mainly contracted by people who come in contact with livestock.