BAHAWALPUR: Detection of Congo virus in another doctor has set alarm bells ringing for Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BVH) administration which has put two people in quarantine and dispatched blood samples of 10 others, including three professors and the wife of late Dr Sagheer Sameja (the BVH surgeon who had died of Congo fever) to the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, for analysis.

Dawn has learnt that Dr Alam, an associate of late Dr Sameja in the BVH Surgical Ward No 4, had rushed to Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Karachi, on Aug 28 after he had fever. His blood test were conducted at the hospital and on Aug 30, he was declared a patient of Congo fever.

As Dr Alam had also assisted the late Dr Sameja in the operation of a student nurse Nadia on July 16 (who expired on July 17) in the BVH, he too had been admitted to AKUH (along with Dr Sameja) on suspicion of carrying Congo virus. However, Dr Alam was discharged from the hospital after screening and resumed his duty at the BVH.

BVH focal persons Dr Aamir Bokhari told Dawn on Wednesday that after showing virus symptoms on July 27, Dr Alam had been quarantined at the BVH and was examined by three professors during his six-hour stay at the hospital. However, after midnight, Dr Alalm left for Karachi.

After being tested positive for Congo virus, Dr Alalm was being treated at the AKUH, he added.

He said after knowing about Dr Alam’s blood test results, the BVH administration immediately quarantined two employees -- Zafar Iqbal, an employee at operation theater and Attiqur Rehman, a vocational training institute employee.

He said after the confirmation of Congo virus in Dr Alalm, the blood tests of 10 other people were sent to NIH, Islamabad from where the results were expected by Thursday. They included three professors -- Dr Gulzar Malik, Dr Fayyaz and Dr Shahbaz Qureshi, besides Dr Hassan (medical ward), who had examined Dr Alam before his departure to Karachi, late Dr Sameja’s wife Dr Sadia, her brother Aqeel Ahmed, Dr Owais, who was the third doctor with late Dr Sameja to conduct the operation of the deceased nursing student Nadia on July 16 at the BVH. The blood samples of a taxi driver, Bashir Ahmed, who took Dr Alam to Karachi on July 28 were also sent to NIH.

The focal persons said the CM’s adviser Khwaja Salman Rafique conveyed the BVH administration on Wednesday that Punjab government would bear all expenses of treatment of the suspected carriers of Congo virus and patients.

In pursuance of Mr Rafique’s announcement, Mr Bokhari said Assistant Prof Dr Imran of QAMC had been sent to Karachi to look after Dr Alam there.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2016