An expatriate has died after contracting Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in the wilaiyat of Ibra in Al Sharqiyah, a senior official at Ibra Municipality.
After the death on Saturday, the victim was described as Asian, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in coordination with the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resource closed the livestock business, putting it under quarantine, said Badr Al Barashdi, Deputy Director of Health Affairs Directorate in Ibra Municipality.
Precautionary measures have been taken to protect people in the area said Al Barashdi.
“The expat who died is a butcher in one of the livestock business owned by his father and died as a result of the Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever. It is a single case and we are checking if the disease has spread to other animals or people.,” said Al Barashdi.
The statement also added that they suspect that the victim contracted the disease from an infected livestock.
“The farm is closed now and samples were taken from the livestock to check the possibilities of the spread of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever virus,” said Al Barashdi.
Ahmed Al Barwani, a Majlis Al Shura member representing Ibra, who said that the concerned authorities promised to come out with a statement to inform public on the incident and also spread awareness among them.
Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne viral disease that is endemic to Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and Asia.
Previously, an official of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Oman said there was an urgent need to formulate a comprehensive prevention and control strategy for Congo Fever in the region, in view of the increasing incidents of the disease.
“The CCHF is the most widespread tick-borne viral infection, and one of the rapidly emerging viral haemorrhagic fevers in humans, occurring across many countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region,” Dr. Abdullah Al Sa’edi, the WHO representative in Oman, said.
Sporadic human cases and outbreaks of CCHF have been reported from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates,” Dr. Abdullah noted. “The situation is particularly alarming in Pakistan, where CCHF has been steadily increasing, from 62 cases in 2012 to 154 cases in 2014, with the fatality rate ranging from 20 to 30 per cent,” the official added
Source: TimesOfOman