QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri has directed the officials concerned to take measures for controlling the spread of Congo virus in the province.

Nine people have reportedly died of the virus during the current year with the latest casualty of an Afghan woman at the Fatima Jinnah Chest Hospital in Quetta last week. Several patients at the hospital have been tested positive for the virus.

Mr Zehri chairing a meeting expressed serious concern over the situation and called for conducting a fumigation drive in the province to control the spreading of the virus, officials said.

He directed the health department to immediately provide Congo virus testing machine to the Fatima Jinnah Sanatorium and establish `isolation wards’ in all district headquarters hospitals in the province.

He emphasised the need for raising awareness among cattle-owners for adopting preventative measures against the virus.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2016