Significant movement of livestock to cities during Eid-ul-Azha coupled with persistent rainfall is exposing new areas of the country to dangerous vector-borne diseases like Congo-Crimean hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) and chikungunya. Health researchers and infectious disease specialists addressing a capacity-building session for Sindh-based doctors, jointly organized by Directorate of Health Services and World Health Organization (WHO) at Aga Khan University warned that seasonal changes were also increasing risk of vector-borne diseases (VBD).
The event was aimed at disseminating the latest knowledge about diagnosis and management of complicated cases of CCHF, chikungunya, dengue, malaria, naegleria and West Nile virus among the province based physicians. Experts noted that cases of CCHF, a deadly disease which has been found in animals in Balochistan and Kashmir, are being detected in new areas of the country such as Bahawalpur in Punjab.
"There has been a rising trend of CCHF cases and this is likely to intensify as Eid approaches," they warned while highlighting absence of a screening mechanism for cattle. Prevalence of poor hygiene practices among butchers was cited to be another reason for the new cases of CCHF. Professor Bushra Jamil from the department of medicine at Aga Khan University said CCHF was a life-threatening illness that required immediate treatment.
Symptoms of CCHF were cited to include severe abdominal pain as well as the persistence of fever. In the given situation, doctors were urged to quickly ascertain the patient's history of interacting with livestock and to urgently order specialized tests for CCHF. The country was said to be also at high risk of disease outbreaks because of unplanned expansion in cities, unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation, poor socioeconomic conditions, low health awareness and inadequate vaccination coverage.
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