Rajasthan: Jodhpur woman dies of Congo fever, govt issues guidelines

Jaipur, Oct 9 (PTI) A 51-year-old woman from Jodhpur died of Congo fever on Wednesday at an Ahmedabad hospital. The medical and health department in Rajasthan has issued necessary guidelines for the prevention and protection of the disease across the state, officials said.

The woman's sample was found positive in the investigation conducted at the National Institute of Virology, Pune. She was receiving treatment at at NHL Municipal Medical College, Ahmedabad.

Public Health Director Dr. Ravi Prakash Mathur said that the Chief Medical and Health Officer of Jodhpur has been instructed to prevent the infection by sending a rapid response team to the affected area.

Suspected and symptomatic patients in the area have been asked to be traced and kept in isolation.

Mathur said that Congo fever is a zoonotic viral disease, which is caused by tick bites. In view of this, the Animal Husbandry Department has been asked to take necessary steps to prevent and control this disease.

He said that instructions have been given to take all precautionary measures to prevent and protect against this disease across the state and to make the general public aware so that the infection does not spread.

All private and government medical institutions have been instructed that if any person shows symptoms of Congo fever, a sample from him should be taken immediately and sent for examination. The medical department should also be informed about it, he said.

Mathur said that the monkey pox test report of a 20-year-old youth from Nagaur, who was kept in isolation at RUHS hospital, has come negative.

The youth had come to Jaipur from Dubai. During the health check-up at Jaipur airport, he was sent to RUHS hospital after rashes were found on his body.

He was found to be suffering from chicken pox during the test in Jaipur. As a precaution, his blood sample was sent to Sawai Mansingh Hospital for monkey pox test. On Wednesday, the youth's monkey pox test report came negative, Mathur said. PTI