First Congo virus death of the year in Karachi rings alarm bells

KARACHI: Sindh has reported its first Congo virus case of the year, with a 42-year-old man from Malir district succumbing to the infection, health officials confirmed on Wednesday.

According to the Sindh health department, the patient tested positive for Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) on Monday after being admitted to Indus Hospital in Korangi. He passed away the following day, making it the province’s first confirmed Congo virus fatality in 2025.

The department said that a health team visited the deceased patient’s residence to trace potential contacts and gather more details. However, the house was found locked, and it is suspected that the family may have travelled to bury the body in their native area.

This has raised concerns among the health experts as they fear that the family tavelling with the deceased patient’s body may cause the virus to spread among other people. This is a serious concern even in the light of the WHO’s warnings, which says that Congo virus can be transmitted from human to human through direct contact with blood, organs, or bodily fluids of an infected person.

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that CCHF, commonly known as Congo virus, is a severe viral disease with a fatality rate ranging between 10 and 40 percent. There is currently no vaccine available to prevent the disease.

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The virus is commonly transmitted through ticks found on livestock such as cows, goats, sheep, and camels. Human infection typically occurs through tick bites or direct contact with the blood or tissues of infected animals.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) had earlier issued an advisory in April, warning of potential Congo virus risks ahead of Eidul Azha due to increased animal movement and slaughter.

Symptoms of the disease appear suddenly and include high fever, muscle pain, dizziness, neck stiffness, backache, headache, eye irritation, and sensitivity to light.

Earlier this year, a 22-year-old cattle herder from North Waziristan also died of CCHF at Peshawar’s Hayatabad Medical Complex.

The first known outbreak of Congo virus in Pakistan dates back to 1976, when a surgeon and three other medical workers contracted the virus from a patient and lost their lives.