LAHORE, Dec 2: The Lahore General Hospital’s neurosurgery department has identified an 18-year-old patient, who is reportedly suffering from Congo virus haemorrhagic encephalitis. The Congo virus, a fatal infectious disease, has already claimed lives of 23 people, including two doctors, in Karachi.

As an immediate measure, the LGH neurosurgery department has isolated the patient to ensure that the virus may not spread among other patients or the hospital staff.

It is learnt that the doctors, nurses and patients at the department are terrified after the identification of the first Congo virus patient in the Punjab.

According to sources, the LGH administration has informed the Punjab health secretary and director-general health services, Punjab, about the patient suffering from Congo virus.

According to a fax message received by the health secretariat, the LGH administration has stated that neurosurgery unit-1 Associate Professor Dr Rizwan Butt has detected Ali Shan, son of Azmat Ali, of Akbari Gate, Lahore, to be suffering from the virus. It said it was a highly contagious disease with droplet infection. The patient had been segregated.

The LGH administration has sought that absolute isolation of the patient should be arranged preferably at the Infectious Diseases Hospital, Lahore, because such a patient might cause harassment and may endanger the lives of other patients and the staff at a public hospital.

It is learnt that the patient, Ali Shan, came to the LGH on Nov 30 after he was discharged from the Mayo Hospital. The patient is unconscious and breathing through a tube. According to his relatives, he had recently travelled to Quetta, Sehwan Sharif and Karachi.

When contacted, Dr Rizwan Butt said the patient was most probably suffering from Congo virus as all symptoms suggested so. He said the symptoms were like those of communicable meningitis that affected the brain of a patient. He said this virus called haemorrhagic meningo encephalitis was highly contagious and could affect other people through air.

He said these patients died in a couple of days, as there was no treatment for this disease. “These patients are at a high risk of death with no treatment available.”

He also said this virus had no source in Pakistan, but had actually travelled from foreign lands through the sea route.

Dr Butt said a similar kind of patient had come to the hospital in a serious condition a few days ago and died. Suggesting that the patient, a six-year-old boy, had the same symptoms, he said the child could not be identified as a Congo virus patient. Owing to a panic caused by the boy’s immediate death, he said, the hospital staff was also not able to get history of the patient.

Stating that Ali Shan had also remained admitted to the Mayo Hospital, Dr Butt said it was a matter of grave concern that the patient might had left some viruses at Mayo.

He also said many doctors in the Punjab, who were treating meningitis cases, should be aware of the Congo virus and take all precautionary measures to save many lives.

Punjab Health Adviser (Technical) Dr Anwaar Ahmad Bugvi said the department had received the information about the Congo virus case and directed the hospital staff to take all possible precautionary measures.

He said the doctors and nurses, who were attending the patient, had been asked to wear special dresses and gloves and change them soon after coming out of the patient’s room. The hospital was fully alert and handling the patient with utmost care, he said.

Answering a question, Dr Bugvi said the patient’s symptoms were like that of Congo virus. He also said further investigation was going on to confirm and notify the patient as a victim of Congo virus haemorrhagic encephalitis.