The Epinhood (TEH)

CRIMEAN-CONGO HEMORRHAGIC FEVER – ASIA (07): AFGHANISTAN (BALKH) FATAL

A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org

Date: Sat 27 May 2023
Source: TOLO News [edited] https://tolonews.com/health-183545

The health department of Balkh province reported that in the past week
10 positive cases of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) have been
recorded in north region of the country, and 2 people have died.

Local Balkh officials said that incidents of this illness were rising
in the country’s north, and they urged religious leaders and the media
to warn people about the dangers associated with the disease’s
spread.

“Ten positive cases of Congo have been recorded; sadly, we had 2
deaths. The Abu Ali Sinai regional hospital in Balkh has its own
particular preparations, and the 50-bed Antani hospital is also
ready,” said Najibullah Tawana, director of the health department of
Balkh.

“The media has a special responsibility to save the wellness of a
Muslim brother, protect him from illness, and provide them with
awareness in the health section,” said Zabihullah Noorani, director of
the department of information and culture of Balkh.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
transmission to humans occurs through “contact with infected ticks or
animal blood,” and CCHF “can be transmitted from one infected human to
another by contact with infectious blood or body fluids.”

“We try and tell all the scholars to inform the people about the Congo
disease,” said Saifuddin Azizi, head of the department of Hajj and
Islamic Affairs of Balkh.

A resident of the province of Balkh, [AZ] said that one of his
relatives who kept livestock recently became ill with Crimean-Congo
hemorrhagic fever (CCHF).

“He was gushing blood from his mouth and nose. They told us that the
patient had Congo when we brought him to the hospital,” said [AZ].

“A person who acquires Congo disease will often have fever, pain,
headache, exhaustion, and weakness as a result of the illness. The
patient then experiences mental health issues,” said Nabiullah Amiri,
head of the 50-Bed Antani Hospital in Balkh.

The symptoms of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), according to
physicians, include a high fever, headache, bodily discomfort, nausea,
stomach pain, and occasionally bleeding.