Congo claims its latest victim in Quetta, taking death toll to 10

QUETTA: Another patient succumbed to the Congo virus here on Friday, taking the death toll in the city to 10.

According to hospital sources, Quetta resident Rehmatullah was brought to hospital on August 27 over Congo fever fears.

He was confirmed to be carrying the Congo virus two days ago, sources said.

Quetta death toll from the deadly Congo virus now stands at 10.

Last week two patients in Quetta had died from the virus.

With Eid-ul-Azha around the corner, health experts advise citizens to take special preventive measures to avoid contracting the virus, which is commonly spread by ticks found on hairy animals.

Healthcare workers caring for patients with suspected or confirmed Congo virus or handling specimens from them are advised to implement standard infection control precautions.

These include basic hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment, safe injection practices and safe burial practices, said Dr Wasim Khawaja a public health specialist at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).

He said that to reduce the risk people should wear protective clothing like long sleeves or long trousers and wear light-coloured clothing to allow easy detection of ticks on the clothes.

He also said people should use approved chemicals intended to kill ticks on clothing and approved repellent on the skin and clothing, regularly examine clothing and skin for ticks and if found remove them and avoid areas where ticks are abundant.