BAHAWALPUR: A suspected case of the Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) has been reported here at the Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BVH).

The Congo fever suspect, identified as one Muhammad Younus (42), belonging to Bahawalpur, was first tested positive for dengue virus and he was being treated at the dengue ward, Dawn learnt.

Dr Aslam Malik of the BVH emergency ward said Younus was shifted from the medical ward to the dengue ward on May 2 where the dengue virus was detected and he was being treated as a dengue patient. Meanwhile, the doctors found that he was having symptoms of Congo virus and his blood samples were sent for an analysis to the laboratory in Islamabad.

Talking to Dawn, Dr Fahad, the in-charge of BVH dengue ward, said Younus was having temperature when he was shifted from the medical ward to dengue ward. The patient arrived from Karachi where he was involved in the animal trade. However, he was being treated for dengue yet.

The patient was an animal trader in Karachi

Dr Fahad added that as the patient had contact with livestock in Karachi, his blood samples were dispatched to the National Institute of Health (NIH) two days ago and it was expected that the NIH lab test results would be received within a week. Since the patient had already tested positive for dengue, he was presently being treated for dengue and on the receipt of blood results from Islamabad, his treatment would be done accordingly.

Meanwhile, during the past 24 hours, two more dengue patients were admitted to the BVH dengue ward, raising the total number of dengue positive patients to three in the hospital.

RALLY: PML-N MNA Malik Iqbal Channar led a rally from his residence to Farid Gate in support of the army.

A number of other rallies by the officials and employees of the government departments and educational institutions were also held.

The institutes included the Cholistan Development Authority, Bahawalpur Development Authority, Bahawalpur Waste Management Company, regional transport authority, district council, municipal corporation, civil defence, colleges, Islamia University Bahawalpur and schools. Several government buildings had flexes inscribed with slogans in support of the army.

DEMONSTRATION: The activists of the Bahawalpur Kissan Ittehad (Chaudhry Anwar group) staged a demonstration outside the press club against the government’s wheat policy.

The demonstrators demanded the army chief to force the government to make the wheat procurement centres functional to purchase wheat from the farmers.

SUGAR: The famers’ leaders and office-bearers of various farmers organisations, including Anjuman-i-Kashitkaran Punjab chairman Rana Iftikhar Hussain, Pakistan Kisan Movement president Hanif Gujjar and Muhammad Ayub Lodhi, in joint press conference demanded the government allow the sugar mills to export their extra stocks of sugar. They said that if the sugar export was not allowed, the country might face another crisis like that of wheat.

The farmers said the sugarcane growers would cultivate 30pc more sugarcane next year, which would provide an opportunity to the government to earn a profit of Rs2bn.

They appealed to the prime minister and Punjab chief minister to allow the sugar export immediately.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2024