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Congo Fever Claims The Lives Of 24 People In Five Months

At least 102 patients have been treated for Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) at the state-owned Infectious Diseases Hospital in Kabul.

Hospital officials confirmed 24 of these patients have died.

This is at just one hospital. However some provincial hospitals have also confirmed cases but exact numbers have not been disclosed.

“The patients who visited our hospital were butchers and poultry farm workers,” said Abdul Rahman Akbari, acting head of the Infectious Diseases Hospital.

Physicians said Congo fever has four phases and its treatment takes 10 days.

“Congo (fever) is a fatal disease which can spread through three ways: from ticks to humans, from animals to humans and from humans to humans,” said Faridullah Omari, an infectious diseases specialist.

Rahimullah, 18, said he has worked at a butcher shop for five years and was infected with the virus while slaughtering an animal.

“I had a fever and was vomiting and then I started bleeding from my nose. My condition has improved in the past five days since I have been in hospital,” he said.

Mukhtar, 26, another butcher, said he was also infected with the virus and has been in hospital for five days.

“I slaughtered a sheep last week and then my nose started bleeding. I am better now as I have been treated in hospital,” he said.

Health officials urge people to use gloves and masks as well as protective clothing when slaughtering animals over Eid-al-Adha in order to cut down on the risk of infection.

The Infectious Diseases Hospital established a separate unit in the hospital last year specifically geared to deal with Congo fever patients.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a widespread disease caused by a tick-borne virus (Nairovirus). The CCHF virus causes severe viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks, with a case fatality rate of 10 – 40 percent.

The CCHF virus is transmitted to people either by tick bites or through contact with infected animal blood or tissues during and immediately after slaughter.

Congo Fever Claims The Lives Of 24 People In Five Months

Kabul’s Infectious Diseases Hospital has reported that at least 102 people have been treated in the past five months for Congo Fever.

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At least 102 patients have been treated for Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) at the state-owned Infectious Diseases Hospital in Kabul.

Hospital officials confirmed 24 of these patients have died.

This is at just one hospital. However some provincial hospitals have also confirmed cases but exact numbers have not been disclosed.

“The patients who visited our hospital were butchers and poultry farm workers,” said Abdul Rahman Akbari, acting head of the Infectious Diseases Hospital.

Physicians said Congo fever has four phases and its treatment takes 10 days.

“Congo (fever) is a fatal disease which can spread through three ways: from ticks to humans, from animals to humans and from humans to humans,” said Faridullah Omari, an infectious diseases specialist.

Rahimullah, 18, said he has worked at a butcher shop for five years and was infected with the virus while slaughtering an animal.

“I had a fever and was vomiting and then I started bleeding from my nose. My condition has improved in the past five days since I have been in hospital,” he said.

Mukhtar, 26, another butcher, said he was also infected with the virus and has been in hospital for five days.

“I slaughtered a sheep last week and then my nose started bleeding. I am better now as I have been treated in hospital,” he said.

Health officials urge people to use gloves and masks as well as protective clothing when slaughtering animals over Eid-al-Adha in order to cut down on the risk of infection.

The Infectious Diseases Hospital established a separate unit in the hospital last year specifically geared to deal with Congo fever patients.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a widespread disease caused by a tick-borne virus (Nairovirus). The CCHF virus causes severe viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks, with a case fatality rate of 10 – 40 percent.

The CCHF virus is transmitted to people either by tick bites or through contact with infected animal blood or tissues during and immediately after slaughter.

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