Jaipur / Rajasthan rights panel seek report from hospitals after 2 deaths due to Congo fever

The state human rights commission on Thursday sought a factual report from AIIMS, Jodhpur and SN Medical College, Jodhpur regarding Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) which has caused two deaths in the state, officials said.

State human rights commission chairman Justice Prakash Tatia also asked the additional chief secretary, health department, to apprise him whether any cases of Congo fever had been reported from any other part of the state and what facilities the government is providing for its treatment.

Justice Tatia has sought the government’s reply by September 23.

Justice Tatia asked the director AIIMS and principal of SN Medical College to provide information about how CCHF is spread, how it can be treated and where the treatment facilities are available. He wanted to know if the disease can gain epidemic proportions and whether AIIMS and SN Medical College had facilities for investigation and treatment of the disease and if not, how they were providing treatment to patients.

Justice Tatia said as per media reports, two deaths due to Congo fever have been reported in the state and blood samples of 250 people have been sent for testing to the National Institute of Virology, Pune. Justice Tatia said the commission thought it proper to obtain information regarding the disease, its spread and measure taken by the government for its treatment.

On Wednesday, two deaths due to CCHF were reported from Jodhpur, the first deaths from the viral disease in Rajasthan. A woman, identified as Indra (40), was a resident of Borunda village of Jodhpur district and a boy, identified as Lokesh (18), was from Dav village in Jaisalmer. While Indra passed away on Saturday (September 8), Lokesh passed away on Tuesday night. Both were admitted in AIIMS Jodhpur.

Their blood samples were sent to National Institute of Virology in Pune and they tested positive for the disease. The reports were received on Tuesday, officials said.

Meanwhile, health minister Raghu Sharma said the department is alert and taking measures to prevent the spread of the disease.

He said an orientation session of health and animal husbandry department officials had been held to tell them about activities to be undertaken to prevent the spread of the disease.

Sharma said after deaths of two persons from Congo fever, 136 blood samples of people close to them have been taken.

Dr Balwant Manda, CMHO, Jodhpur, said that regular monitoring and screening of residents and animals in the localities where the deceased resided would be done for the next 14 days.