An 18-year-old from Pishin has become the first reported fatality from the Congo virus in Quetta this year.
The young patient was receiving treatment at Fatima Jinnah General and Chest Hospital, where he was admitted on March 29 in critical condition.
After testing positive for the virus, he was placed in an isolation ward but ultimately succumbed to the infection. This marks Quetta’s first Congo virus-related death of 2025.
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne viral disease first identified in Crimea in 1944. The virus was later linked to cases in the Congo in 1969, leading to its current name.
Humans can contract the virus through bites from infected ticks or direct exposure to the blood and bodily fluids of infected animals, including cattle, sheep, and goats. The disease poses a significant risk to those working with livestock or in agricultural settings.
