Six Congo virus-related deaths cause alarm in Balochistan

Quetta: Six people including women and children have died as a result of Congo virus that has once again attacked several districts of Balochistan.

During the running year, 35 cases of Congo virus have been reported in Balochistan till date, out of which six people have been died.

This is not the first time that an epidemic of Congo virus has broken out in Balochistan, but in the late 80s and mid-90s, dozens of precious lives were lost due to this epidemic.

The provincial government's interest in the spread and prevention of this virus can be estimated from the fact that no research cell could be established in the province for four decades.

From 2001 to 2023, cases of the people affected by the disease have been reported almost every year from Loralai and Musakhel districts.

It is repeatedly complained by the affected people that provincial government neither paid any attention to the treatment of the victims nor to the spraying of animals in the districts of province.

What is Congo Virus?

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) commonly known as ‘Congo Virus’ is a viral haemorrhagic fever usually transmitted by ticks— tiny parasites found in wooded areas.

It can also be contracted through contact with viraemic animal tissues—tissue where the virus has entered the bloodstream— during and immediately post-slaughter of animals.