Jodhpur: After around five years, a case of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) has surfaced in Rajasthan's Jodhpur district. A 51-year-old woman from the district died after contracting the disease while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Ahmedabad.
On hearing about the case, a health department team reached the residence of the deceased to collect the blood samples of neighbours and relatives.
Deputy CMHO Dr Pritam Singh said the deceased, a resident of Nandda Kalan in Jodhpur rural area had fallen ill recently and was taken to Ahmedabad for treatment, where she died. Her family members brought the body to the village and cremated it.
After receiving the CCHF test report from Pune, samples were collected from the area. The deceased was involved in animal husbandry so animals are also being examined.
Officials said that people working in the agro-pastoral or animal husbandry fields are at a higher risk of CCHF virus. A parasite called 'Himoral', which clings to the skin of animals, act as a carrier of this disease. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), a person infected with CCHF virus shows symptoms of fever, muscle pain, dizziness, headache and burning eye sensation.
First Congo fever case reported in 2014: The first case of CCHF occurred in Jodhpur in 2014 and a nursing staff working in a private hospital located on Residency Road died of this disease. Later in 2019, symptoms were seen in three children and two persons had died in AIIMS. Now, five years later, the disease has yet again surfaced in Nandda village adjacent to Jodhpur, prompting health department to be on alert.
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