Sources in the provincial hospital of northern Jowzjan province report that a doctor and a butcher have lost their lives to Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) in recent days.
According to the sources, the number of people infected with CCHF has increased during the past few days.
On Thursday, a local source told KabulNow that Jowzjan Provincial Hospital is currently providing medical treatment to ten patients diagnosed with CCHF. The source further revealed that some health workers have also contracted the disease, resulting in the death of a doctor named Halim Salek.
Ten CCHF patients have reportedly recovered and been discharged from the hospital. The officials of the Taliban Public Health Directorate in the province refused to comment on this report.
Last week, health authorities in the northern Balkh province also reported the death of two individuals due to Crimean-Congo fever and the identification of ten confirmed cases over the past weeks.
Earlier last month, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported a surge in the cases of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) in southern Kandahar province.
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 the disease.
