KARACHI: A 52-year-old man on Saturday died of the Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) a day after he tested positive for the virus.

It’s the fourth death from the disease in the city. Three of the deceased, including a doctor, were among the 16 patients who were shifted to Karachi from Quetta following an outbreak of CCHF at a hospital there.

“His life could have been saved had the doctors who treated him for many days immediately referred him to a tertiary care hospital after the patient developed haemorrhage,” JPMC’s deputy executive director Dr Yahya Tunio said.

The patient, who was initially treated for malaria and then dengue, had reported at the JPMC with a two-day history of bleeding from nose, he added.

This year, the city has reported three localised cases of the tick-borne viral illness. The fatality risk in this disease ranges from 10 per cent to 40pc.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2023