Authorities scramble to prevent Congo virus outbreak on Eid

Experts suggest precautions while visiting cattle markets

KARACHI:

With Eidul Azha just a week away, the purchase of sacrificial animals is picking up momentum across the country, as millions of heads of cattle have reached established or make-shift markets in all the big and small towns across the country.

However, with extraordinary rush in the cattle markets, health authorities were on alert to prevent any outbreak of diseases associated with these heads of cattle. One of the most feared outbreaks is the Congo virus.

Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a viral disease, which is typically spread by tick bites or close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected persons or animals.

The CCHF cases are observed in a wide geographic range including Africa, Russia, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Asia. Typically, small outbreaks are seen in areas where the virus is endemic.

In Pakistan, Congo virus is reported every year on the occasion of Eidul Azha. “Among these millions of animals are some infected animals which cause Congo virus,” said a doctor at a make-shift cattle market on the outskirts of Karachi.

“The virus spreads from these infected animals to other healthy animals. People infected with Congo virus have constant fever, vomiting, dizziness,” he added. He suggested precautions while visiting the cattle markets.

Dr Hizbullah Bhutto, the Director General of Veterinary Livestock, Government of Sindh, told The Express Tribune that the authorities were on alert since the reported cases of Congo virus in November last year.

“We have started vaccination and spray campaigns in animals. Vaccination has been launched to protect animals from various diseases,” Dr Bhutto said. “We have also established emergency vaccination points at six different markets of Karachi.”

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, a total of 365 cases of Congo virus were confirmed in Pakistan between 2014 and 2020, with a mortality rate of 25%.

In 2021, 14 cases were confirmed in Balochistan, with six fatalities. In the first 5 months of 2022, four cases of Congo virus were reported, followed by 7 more in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in the second half of the year.

“Congo virus directly attacks the platelet-forming cells in the bone marrow and, as a result, platelet count in the body drops sharply,” Dr Saqib Ansari, a renowned haematologist in Karachi, told The Express Tribune.

According to Dr Bhutto, seven different types of vaccines are being used to prevent any outbreak of diseases. He added that two vaccines for Congo virus treatment had also been developed in Pakistan but none was approved yet.

Health experts advise the public to adopt utmost care, while visiting cattle markets for purchasing sacrificial animals. First of all, they suggest, make sure that the animal being purchased was healthy.

While visiting the cattle market, they said, wear light-colour, full-sleeves clothes, socks and shoes and face masks. Because, they added, certain ticks might not be visible if caught on dark-colour clothes. Try not to take children to the market, they added.