KARACHI: Provincial health authorities have sent an alert over dangers of Congo-Crimean haemorrhagic fever ahead of Eidul Azha and decided to set up medical camps and veterinary facilities in all cattle markets in or on the fringes of the megacity, it emerged on Friday.

Officials of the Sindh health ministry said that all relevant authorities had been asked to take preventive measures to save millions of people in the provincial capital from the deadly disease that had already killed over two dozen people in the past three years.

The deadly microbe has so far killed five people in the city this year.

They said that district health officers and veterinary doctors would visit all cattle markets to monitor health of animals brought to the city for sale.

In a directive, the government has asked authorities concerned to specify points for inspection of animals away from populated localities and allocate proper sites for animal markets.

As part of preventive measures, the city’s health authorities have asked the veterinary department of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) to make sure that no infected animal was allowed to enter the Karachi animal markets.

“This is one of the several measures we are taking to stop the lethality of the disease and to ensure that no further loss of precious lives takes place in future,” said a senior official.

Individuals and butchers taking care of such animals have been advised to adopt the required pre-emptive measures.

Officials said that authorities had been told to inspect animals at the Toll Plaza in Karachi or at the entry points of every other city of Sindh.

In Karachi, municipal authorities have been asked to ensure proper sanitation at the site of animal markets and make available proper supply of drinking water.

“Water should be stored and covered properly and veterinary camps be placed prominently with inspecting officials wearing gloves,” said the directive.

The KMC has already advised visitors to the markets to wear clothes with light colours so that infected ticks from animals could be spotted easily.

All municipal bodies in the city have also been advised to fumigate animal markets before and during Eid days. Besides, butchers should also use gloves and should not come in contact with the blood of animals and use knives if they have cuts on any part of their bodies.

Officials said that every CCHF victim caught the viral disease through the bite of an infected tick found on animals.

Those infections are also associated with the slaughtering of infected animals and from contaminated needles etc.

They said that those dealing with dairy farming, livestock, medical personnel, veterinarians, and abattoir workers (butchers) were likely to catch the deadly virus and there was no vaccine available to prevent people from falling victim to it.

Weeks before Eidul Azha, the city is set to get dotted with dozens of markets where animals from across the country would be put on sale.

What authorities fear is that along with those whose profession makes them come in contact with animals, hundreds of thousands of other people who visit the markets were equally at risk of getting infected if infected animals were present in the markets.

According to experts, the infection’s fatality rate was up to 50 per cent. In certain cases, infections are common after exposure to infected blood and secretions.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2018