Lahore, August 28 (TNS): Punjab government has warned the citizens to be careful against sacrificial animals carrying Congo virus ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.
Shahbaz Sharif led Punjab government announced Help-Line 0800-99-000 to help the masees.
Advisory, issued by the Punjab government, says there is need for creating awareness in public, visiting animal markets, as well as those handling animals’ leftovers, buyers and butchers.
It said that congo fever could become a grave concern if preventive measures are not taken during Eid-ul-Azha.
The advisory advised the citizens to take special preventive measures in thes
e days to protect from carrying Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF).
It said reducing the risk of tick-to-human transmission people should wear protective clothing like long sleeves or long trousers and wear light coloured clothing to allow easy detection of ticks on the clothes.
It said people should use approved chemicals intended to kill ticks on clothing, use approved repellent on the skin and clothing, regularly examine clothing and skin for ticks, if found, remove them and avoid areas where ticks are abundant and seasons when they are most active.
“In order to reducing the risk of animal-to-human transmission people should wear gloves and other protective clothing while handling animals or their tissues in endemic areas, notably during slaughtering, butchering and culling procedures in slaughterhouses or at home”, it added.
Medics said CCHF is a widespread disease caused by a tick-borne virus. The hosts of the CCHF virus included a wide range of wild and domestic animals such as cattle, sheep and goats.
The incubation period following contact with infected blood or tissues is usually five to six days, with symptoms included fever, muscle ache, dizziness, neck pain and stiffness, backache, headache, sore eyes and photophobia (sensitivity to light).
They said there may be nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and sore throat early on, followed by sharp mood swings and confusion. After two to four days, the agitation may be replaced by sleepiness, depression and lassitude, and the abdominal pain may localize to the upper right quadrant, with detectable hepatomegaly (liver enlargement).
