Pakistan reports two Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever cases in Sindh

By NewsDesk @infectiousdiseasenews

Officials with Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) in Karachi are reporting two cases of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in Sindh province in a week.

The patients include a 37-year-old individual from who was bleeding from her nose and mouth and a 40-year-old person from the Pak Colony of the city who had been referred to the JPMC from the Civil Hospital Karachi.

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The first patient is being treated and in serious condition, while the second patient, a butcher, had recovered and been discharged from the hospital

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is a widespread disease caused by a tick-borne virus (Nairovirus) of the Bunyaviridae family. The CCHF virus causes severe viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks, with a case fatality rate of 10–40%.

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Animals become infected by the bite of infected ticks and the virus remains in their bloodstream for about one week after infection, allowing the tick-animal-tick cycle to continue when another tick bites. Although a number of tick genera are capable of becoming infected with CCHF virus, ticks of the genus Hyalomma are the principal vector.

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The CCHF virus is transmitted to people either by tick bites or through contact with infected animal blood or tissues during and immediately after slaughter. The majority of cases have occurred in people involved in the livestock industry, such as agricultural workers, slaughterhouse workers and veterinarians. Human-to-human transmission is possible.