KARACHI: Frequent deaths of patients from Congo fever has set alarm bells ringing in the power corridors of Sindh as provincial authorities on Friday ordered intensified monitoring of people’s movement between districts bordering Balochistan and Sindh and effective measures in district health facilities to combat a possible outbreak here.

Balochistan has been experiencing a Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) outbreak and many patients are under treatment at Karachi hospitals. So far, three mortalities from Congo fever have been reported in the metropolis this week.

According to data of the Balochistan health department, the last two years have seen a significantly high number of CCHF infections and mortalities in the province, as 21 deaths recorded last year and 20 mortalities this year so far.

Health experts feared that the tick-borne illness, with 40 per cent mortality rate, could potentially affect the people in Sindh especially those living along the Sindh-Balochistan border given the fact that affected patients were travelling to other cities for treatment and livestock was routinely transported between the two provinces.

Baqar orders surveillance of Sindh-Balochistan border

“While the latest victim from Quetta died at a government-run facility in Karachi, more than a dozen healthcare providers are currently under treatment at a private hospital in the city,” shared a Sindh health department official.

“This situation has created a lot of concern among the general public as well as official quarters that believe this Quetta outbreak may spread to the bordering districts in Sindh given the continued transportation of patients from the affected area to other areas,” the official said, while explaining the need for preventive measures.

According to him, the scale of the outbreak in Balochistan seems to be larger than what was previously believed.

“It seems that effective preventive measures in livestock markets are not in place in Balochistan, resulting in infection among the general public,” he said, adding that the patients now reporting in Karachi were not healthcare providers.

Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister retired Justice Maqbool Baqar on Friday expressed concern over the Congo fever outbreak in Balochistan and the close proximity of some districts — Dadu, Shahdadkot, Kashmore and Jacobabad — facing potential risk due to frequent cross-border movement.

“The chief minister has directed the provincial health and livestock departments to intensify surveillance, particularly in the bordering district and tehsil adjoining Balochistan.

“He also instructed for launching public awareness campaigns about preventive measures, including the use of insect repellents and protective clothing, besides monitoring of livestock markets, especially in border areas,” a statement issued by the CM House said.

Meanwhile, the Sindh health department has alerted the district health officers and directed hospitals across Sindh to set up isolation units and implement stringent infection control measures.

“A monitoring cell has been established at the director general health office. Healthcare facilities have been directed to provide personal protective equipment to healthcare providers. Instructions have also been given to launch educational activities in high-risk areas,” health department spokesperson Shabbir Ali Babar said.

According to WHO, the CCHF virus causes severe viral haemorrhagic fever outbreaks. The virus is primarily transmitted to people from ticks and livestock animals. Human-to-human transmission can occur resulting from close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected persons.

There is no vaccine available for either people or animals.

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2023