Maharashtra: Palghar alert over Congo fever amid Covid-19 pandemic

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Palghar district administration has sounded an alert for possible cases of the viral Congo fever.

The district which has a mix of urban, semi-urban and tribal population, adjoins Maharashtra’s financial capital of Mumbai and borders Gujarat.

At least four cases of Congo fever were reported from Gujarat’s Valsad district leading to one casualty, following which the alert was sounded.

However, not a single case has been reported in Palghar and the alert has been sounded as a precautionary measure.

The Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), commonly known as the Congo fever, is one of the deadly hemorrhagic fevers that are endemic in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and West Asia.

It is a tick-borne zoonotic viral disease caused by CCHF virus of the genus Nairovirus (family Bunyaviridae).

It typically spread through tick-bites or contact with livestock carrying the disease.

Palghar district Animal Husbandry Department Deputy Commissioner Dr PD Kamble, in a circular, cautioned that since CCHF cases have been found in some districts of south Gujarat, it could spread in Maharashtra.

“We have asked all the meat-sellers to take necessary measures including hygiene, cleanliness, spraying insecticides, using gloves, gumboots, masks, proper checking of all animals arriving in Maharashtra via Gujarat border, in consultation with various departments concerned,” officials said.