Here Are Tips to Prevent and Identify Congo Virus Ahead of Eid-ul-Azha

As Eid-ul-Azha nears, Pakistani healthcare services have issued guidelines on Congo virus in all districts of Punjab.

Director General Health Services Dr. Munir Ahmed said that special precautionary measures have also been instructed to all field officers. He further instructed that the citizens should remain careful and take the required preventive measures which include:

• To wear full sleeved and brightly colored shirts (so that ticks could be exposed on brightly colored fabric)
• Use tick propellants before visiting the animal market
• Do not try to remove ticks from animals barehanded.

Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is basically a tick-borne viral disease that affects humans. CCHF has increased rapidly in countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, where Pakistan is located. Pakistan is currently ranked fourth in the overall CCHF cases from the region.

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People who are at great risk from this disease include:

• Livestock farmers
• Workers at slaughterhouse
• butchers
• veterinary and para-veterinary staff

Dr. Munir Ahmed instructed the district officers to raise more awareness about the fever since very few cases have been reported up till now. The director general further advised the people to properly check the animal before any purchase and carefully check the animal to ensure that there is no hyalomma on the body of the animal. He further relayed the details of what the symptoms of Congo fever look like:

1. Headaches
2. Back pain
3. Muscle pain
4. Red spots on the body
5. Blood from nose, mouth or any other body organ

Additional Secretary Health Dr. Shahnaz Naeem informed that DG Khan, Bahawalpur, and Rawalpindi are extremely sensitive areas because of the massive transportation of animals.

179 teams for the inspection of animals have been dispatched on exit and entrance routes of major cities informed Programme Officer Livestock Dr. Haris.