Northern Balkh province records 40 confirmed cases of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) in the past two-month, reports health officials.
Khalil Ahmad Khalil, the head of the infectious Hospital in Balkh, has reported that the majority of the patients diagnosed with CCHF are butchers and farmers. According to him, nine women are also among the infected individuals.
Khalil says out of the 40 individuals affected, 26 are presently undergoing medical treatment, while the remaining 16 have been discharged from the hospital. Moreover, he said that within the past two months, three fatalities have occurred in Balkh province as a result of this disease.
CCHF is a viral disease transmitted to humans through ticks and livestock. Health experts say that the cases of Congo disease increase every year during the Eid al-Adha in Afghanistan. Symptoms include headache, high fever, back pain, joint pain, stomach pain, and vomiting.
To reduce the risk of infection in people, the World Health Organization recommends minimizing contact with animals and spraying them with medicine to prevent fever, and educating people about the dangers of this disease.
