The recent deaths due to Congo fever have prompted the provincial health authorities in Sindh to take strict measures, ordering concerned officials to closely monitor the people moving between Balochistan and Sindh.
Until now, three individuals from Balochistan have died in Karachi this week while others are undergoing treatment at various hospitals.
The Balochistan health department has raised concerns as the official data revealed that 20 patients have lost their lives this year due to Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF).
Health experts have expressed their concerns about the spread of disease in some parts of Sindh as the infected individuals are admitted to the provincial hospitals. Additionally, the regular transport of livestock could further increase the risk.
An official of the Sindh Health Department told a national daily that more than a dozen healthcare providers are currently under treatment at a private hospital in the city.
Officials fear that the “Quetta outbreak may spread to the bordering districts in Sindh given the continued transportation of patients from the affected area to other areas.”
He added that the lack of effective preventive measures in livestock markets in Balochistan has resulted in infection among the general public. Moreover, caretaker CM Sindh has instructed the health authorities to enhance surveillance, particularly in the bordering districts and tehsils adjoining Balochistan.
The provincial health department has issued an alert to the district health officers in this regard. Hospitals across the province have been ordered to establish isolation units.
Health authorities have set up a monitoring cell at the director general health office. Moreover, hospitals have been instructed to provide personal protective equipment to healthcare providers.
Source: Pro Pakistani