Congo Fever: Government Issues Guidelines Following Rajasthan Woman's Death (Photo @Pixabay)
The death of a 51-year-old woman from Rajasthan’s Jodhpur reportedly due to Congo fever has ignited health concerns in the country. The woman died at a hospital in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad. The victim’s sample was found positive in the tests conducted at the National Institute of Virology, Pune.
Symptoms of Congo fever
The symptoms of the Congo fever include fever, muscle ache, dizziness, neck pain, backache & headache, sore eyes and photophobia (sensitivity to light), nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and sore throat. There will also be sharp mood swings and fatigue.
The other symptoms include a fast heart rate, enlarged lymph nodes, and a rash caused by bleeding into the skin on internal mucosal surfaces.
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The World Health Center has warned that the severely infected may experience rapid kidney damage, quick liver failure, and pulmonary issues, leading to death in some cases.
Government Guidelines
Following the death, the government has instructed the Chief Medical and Health Officer of Jodhpur to take steps to prevent the infections. The health department in Rajasthan has issued guidelines for the prevention of the disease in the state.
The medical institutions have been instructed if any person shows symptoms of Congo fever to test his sample immediately by sending it for examination.
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What is Congo Fever
According to the WHO, the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a viral hemorrhagic fever caused by tick bites. The disease can also be contracted through contact with viraemic animal tissues (animal tissue where the virus has entered the bloodstream) during and immediately post-slaughter of animals.
The infection was first described in the Crimean Peninsula in 1944 and given the name Crimean hemorrhagic fever. In 1969, it was found that the pathogen causing Crimean hemorrhagic fever was the same as that responsible for an illness identified in 1956 in the Congo Basin. The disease was then called Congo fever.
