Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever – better known as Congo fever – is a tick-borne viral disease that spreads through bites from infected ticks or through direct contact with the blood and tissues of infected animals. Sindh has already recorded its first death from the virus this year, which unfortunately does not come as a surprise. Cases of Congo fever have reliably spiked around Eid-ul-Azha for years, with a steady increase in livestock trading spreading the virus across the country for quite some time. The reported mortality rate for Congo fever is between 10 and 30 per cent which is high enough to become cause for grave concern.
The cultural aspect of Eid-ul-Azha in Pakistan makes containment much more difficult as compared to other countries that deal with mass-slaughtering. Instead of a contactless system where families pay to have their sacrificial animals butchered at slaughterhouses and promptly delivered at their doorsteps, Pakistanis prefer to be directly involved in all steps of the process. This means nights spent camped with their animals and blood flowing freely through streets on the day of Eid.
Such a scenario demands an inexcusable practice of precautions including gloves during slaughter, anti-tick spray on animals and keeping children at a distance during sacrifice. A fever should not be taken lightly during this season – in order to protect lives while maintaining the sanctity of sacrifice.