Two more diagnosed with Congo virus in Quetta

QUETTA: Two more people, including a child, have been diagnosed with the Congo virus in Quetta, bringing the total number of cases this year to 35, hospital officials said on Thursday.

The patients are a 63-year-old man from Afghanistan who lives in Quetta’s Satellite Town and a six-year-old girl from Qila Saifullah district, the officials said. They are being treated at the Fatima Jinnah Chest Hospital, where two other Congo virus patients are also admitted.

The hospital authorities said the condition of three patients was stable and they would be discharged by Thursday evening. One patient remained critical and under observation.

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The Congo virus, also known as Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, is a tick-borne viral disease that can cause severe bleeding, organ failure and death.

It has a fatality rate of up to 40%, according to the World Health Organization.

So far this year, 11 people have died from the Congo virus in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran.