KARACHI: The city saw its second death from Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) within three days when a young man, who had contracted the tick-borne disease over a week back, died on Thursday.

Sources said the victim, a 25-year-old fisherman and resident of Ibrahim Hyderi, worked as a butcher to earn some bucks during Eidul Azha.

They pointed out that he reported at least four hospitals within seven days during his illness. Unfortunately, the disease couldn’t be timely diagnosed, finally resulting in his death.

Source said the victim had developed initial CCHF signs and symptoms — high fever, headache, muscle ache and body pains — on June 13 after which he reported at the Sindh government hospital in Ibrahim Hyderi, where he received ‘symptomatic treatment’.

Fisherman’s condition remained undiagnosed at three hospitals, until it was too late

“That was the first critical lapse. The doctors at the hospital should have thought of the CCHF infection and prescribed the relevant lab test, given the fact the patient had been in close contact with animals for days,” shared a health department official, regretting that the doctors apparently didn’t take the patient’s history at all.

Within two days, the sources said, the victim’s condition seriously deteriorated; he started vomiting and developed abdominal pain associated with two episodes of diarrhoea, followed by two episodes of rectal bleeding.

On June 15, the sources said, he went to the Creek General Hospital but was declined admission due to bed’s unavailability, forcing the patient to return home.

A day later, the sources said, his condition worsened and he was rushed to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.

Here, he was seen as a suspected CCHF patient and admitted. However, no sample was sent to confirm presence of CCHF.

“The tragic story doesn’t end here. His condition required treatment in an intensive care unit. But, there was no space (in the Medical ICU) and he was referred to the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital at Nipa Chowrangi on June 17, where he passed away on June 19. His sample for CCHF was also taken at SIDH and not at JPMC,” another health department official shared.

Earlier, a 42-year-old man, a factory worker and resident of Malir, died of CCHF on June 17. He was treated at the Indus Hospital for two days.

He was brought to the emergency department on June 15 with a 7-day history of fever and bleeding from the gums. Upon evaluation and testing, he was diagnosed with CCHF.

Criminal negligence

According to experts, CCHF is endemic to Pakistan, which sees several deaths from the illness every year, especially during the Eidul Azha period when animals’ movement increases.

Experts believe that the loss of precious lives could be easily prevented by launching effective public awareness drives, highlighting the care needed in handling animals, and also by training doctors in identifying early disease signs and equipping hospitals with basic tools and medicine needed for treatment.

“What happened with this poor fisherman is the result of criminal negligence. It’s an open secret that doctors at government hospitals don’t ask patients about their history of contacts and illnesses,” regretted Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro representing the Pakistan Medical Association.

The fisherman’s ordeal indicated how dire the situation would be in the interior parts of Sindh. “What we see in Karachi is tip of the iceberg,” he added.

The CCHF virus causes severe viral haemorrhagic fever outbreaks, which have a fatality rate of up to 40 per cent.

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, June 20th, 2025