Palghar : The Palghar administration on Tuesday alerted authorities against a possible spread of the Congo fever in the Maharashtra district of Palghar. The Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), commonly known as the Congo fever, spreads in humans through infected ticks or animal blood. CCHF can be transmitted from one infected human to another by contact with infectious blood or body fluids.
The district administration is concerned as Palghar has population who are into cattle- breeders, meat-sellers and animal husbandry officials. He said in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak, it is necessary to take timely precautions as there is no specific and useful treatment for the CCHF.
Palghar animal husbandry department’s deputy commissioner Dr Prashant D Kamble in a statement explained the CCHF has been found in some districts of Gujarat and is likely to spread to border districts of Maharashtra. Palghar being close to Gujarat’s Valsad district. The probability of spreading the disease in Palghar is high . The department has directed authorities to take all necessary precautions and implement preventive measures as soon as possible.
In a statement, it said, “This viral disease is transmitted from one animal to another by a specific type of tick. The disease is transmitted to humans through contact with the blood of infected animals and by eating the meat of infected animals”.
Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a widespread disease caused by a tick-borne virus (Nairovirus) of the Bunyaviridae family. The CCHF virus causes severe viral haemorrhagic fever outbreaks, with a case fatality rate of 10–40%. The disease can be deadly if the patient is not diagnosed and treated in time, anout 30% of patients may die with such condition.
CCHF is endemic in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and Asian countries. So far no vaccine available for either people or animals against the disease. Human-to-human transmission can occur from close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected persons.
The disease have been detected where people are involved in the livestock industry, such as agricultural workers, slaughterhouse workers and veterinarians.
Hospital-acquired infections can also occur due to improper sterilisation of medical equipment, reuse of needles and contamination of medical supplies, according to the WHO.