In cattle markets: Protect yourself against Congo virus

. The senior doctor said that crushing of a tick carrying the Congo virus can infect hands if not immediately washed

KARACHI: Doctors advised people who visit the cattle market to buy sacrificial animals to carefully remove ticks if found on their clothes instead of crushing them in order to avoid chances of being infected by the Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever. According to Dr Wajiha Kazi, anyone who has been around cattle must not ignore the presence of ticks and should necessarily remove them before killing them on a smooth surface. The senior doctor said that crushing of a tick carrying the Congo virus can infect hands if not immediately and adequately washed and, hence, carries a high chance to transmit the fatal virus through nostrils, mouth and eye.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 21^st,  2015.