Balochistan: Two more suspected of Congo virus

QUETTA: Two people were admitted to the isolation ward at the Fatima Jinnah Chest and General Hospital in Quetta, over suspicion of contracting Congo Crimean Haemorrhagic Fever. Saffar Khan and Gulshan Bibi were brought to the hospital on Friday, Dr Adam Khan at the hospital said, adding that the woman is an Afghan national and her samples were sent to Islamabad. “The cases can be confirmed after their tests turn out to be positive,” Khan said. Earlier, three suspected cases of Congo virus were reported in Quetta. A senior official from the health department said hospital authorities across Balochistan have been directed to set up isolation wards following the increase in the number of cases.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24^th, 2011.