Gujarat: CCHF claims 4 lives including 2 doctors, nurse

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Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

http://netindian.in/news/2011/01/20/00010221/no-fresh-case-cchf-virus-reported-ahmedabad-govt

Home: No fresh case of CCHF virus reported from Ahmedabad: Govt.
No fresh case of CCHF virus reported from Ahmedabad: Govt.
Submitted by admin2 on Thu, 01/20/2011 - 22:10 in National
NetIndian News Network
New Delhi, January 20, 2011

The Government today said no fresh case of Crimea Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) had been reported from Ahmedabad after the initial three deaths that occurred in the city in the last three weeks.



An official press release said a six-member Central team, deputed by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, reached Ahmedabad today to investigate the CCHF. It said the National Institute of Virology (NIV) had also deputed a team.



"No fresh case has been reported from the affected area after the initial three deaths reported and two cases who are under monitoring," the release said.



The release said surveillance activity had been started in the affected area. As many as 33 teams deputed by the State Government have carried out survey by house to house visits in six villages and three hamlets near Kolat village in Sanand taluka near Ahmedabad, covering a population of more than 26,000 persons.



It said one hundred cases of fever were detected but all of them had recovered except for two. A total of 58 samples have been collected from the contacts, including hospital staff. Forty five of them have already tested negative at NIV, Pune. The State Animal Husbandry Department is also conducting surveillance among domestic animals.



According to the release, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has also surveyed 58 hospitals for the past 15days to detect any unusual deaths in their hospitals. But not a single case has been reported for viral hemorrhagic fever.

Detailed treatment protocol for CCHF has been developed at B J Medical College, Ahmedabad with the help of various experts. Recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on prevention and treatment have also been obtained and shared with the Central team and State Government. An expert team is also meeting to review the treatment protocol, the release added.



The three people who died of the fever included a doctor and a nurse who treated a patient, who was the first victim. These are said to be the first ever cases of huma infection in India with the CCHF virus. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has, however, said that there was no cause for panic.



The ICMR said CCHF outbreaks could easily be controlled by proper hygiene and infection control measures in the hospital(s) where patients are admitted. Similar precautions should be taken in the community, specially while slaughtering the animals from whose tissues the infection can spread to humans.



"After proper control measure, the outbreaks can be successfully handled locally. In this instance, awareness among the doctors and also prompt diagnosis at NIV is an evidence of the competence of our system and there should be no reason for any panic reaction," the ICMR said.



According to the release, the CCHF virus is known to be transmitted among animals through ticks. It does not produce disease in animals but kills from 20 to 40% of humans beings who get the disease.



ICMR said that, typically, after a one to three day incubation period following a tick bite (5-6 days after exposure to infected blood or tissues), flu-like symptoms appear, which may resolve after one week.



In up to 75% of cases, however, signs of hemorrhage appear within 3-5 days of the onset of illness. Patients usually begin to recover after 9-10 days from symptom onset, but there could be mortality in some cases

 

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Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_asha-johns-fever-was-taken-lightly_1497043

Asha John?s fever was taken lightly?
Published: Thursday, Jan 20, 2011, 19:39 IST
By Prashant Thakor | Place: Ahmedabad | Agency: DNA

My daughter was not treated well by the hospital, says Omna Christian, mother of the 25-year-old nurse, Asha John, who died of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) at the city's Shalby Hospital on Tuesday. Incidentally, Asha was a nurse at the same hospital when she fell ill. Omna still works as a nurse there.

It was Asha's death that alerted the management of the hospital to the deadly nature of the mysterious fever and forced it take steps to prevent the disease from spreading.

Since November 2008, Asha had been working as a nurse in the medical ICU of the hospital. This is the same ward where Ameena Momin, 30, the first known victim of the CCHF virus, was admitted on December 30.

Omna alleged that Asha had not received necessary care and treatment at the hospital. "I am not against anyone but the hospital could have conducted tests well in advance," she said. "But they didn't take her illness seriously."

"Asha died 10 days after she was admitted for treatment," said Omna. "But no one in the hospital bothered to conduct the tests." She further alleged that one of the doctors at the hospital had even refused to examine her daughter after she developed some unusual symptoms of the disease.

The hospital authorities, however, said that they had taken every care to protect the staff as well as the other patients from the deadly virus.

"We have dedicated microbiologists as well as a department for infection control. But everything happened so fast that there was little time to react," said Neeraj Lal, V-P (quality) Shalby Hospital.

Capt Shubha Ravindranath, director of nursing at the hospital, maintained that the hospital had reacted faster than the government. She also praised Asha for her courage. "Even when she had high fever, Asha never expressed any negativity," Ravindranath said.

Omna said she had raised Asha and her son, Abhilash, after her husband's death 15 years ago. Asha had started working as a nurse after completing her nursing course but Abhilash is a third-year engineering student in a Tamil Nadu college. Asha's sudden death had created worries about his future as well, Omna said.

"She was my only support here. All other members of my family live in Kerala," she said.

 

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Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

http://www.sify.com/news/lethal-vir...at-says-minister-news-health-lbusOeffifj.html

Lethal virus not spreading in Gujarat, says minister

2011-01-20 18:50:00

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Gandhinagar, Jan 20 (IANS) The lethal Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is not spreading in Gujarat with all the over 50 samples sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) testing negative and no fresh case coming to light, state Health Minister Jaynarayan Vyas said Thursday.

The minister said that of the four suspected cases of CCHF quarantined, one has tested negative and this has further strengthened their belief that there is no spread of the virus [Two of these cases are the husband and brother of the index case. I have no idea who the others might be. - alert].


'However, we are not letting our guard down and teams are still surveying the environs besides checking is going on in almost all hospitals of the state,' he added. All hospitals have been asked to prepare isolation wards in case the need arises.


According to the Pune-based NIV, patients detected with CCHF should be isolated immediately so that the virus is not transmitted to others.


'The virus that has so far killed three people in Gujarat is a category 4 virus, the most dangerous of all,' NIV director A.C. Mishra told IANS. 'CCHF, a viral haemorrhagic fever of the nairovirus group, spreads through the aerosol route. Symptoms include high fever and a drop in platelet count,' he added.


Official sources also described the condition of Ameena Momin's husband as stable.


Amina, 30, was admitted to a private hospital in Ahmedabad in the first week of January after she was reported suffering from a mysterious fever. She subsequently died. There was consternation in medical circles when her consulting doctor Gagan Sharma, who had examined her, also passed away Jan 13. Her nurse Asha John died Tuesday.


Amina's husband Hussain Rehman and brother Hussain Rasool are also suspected to have contracted the same virus.


Meanwhile a team from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases arrived in Ahmedabad Thursday. After preliminary discussions with the state health authorities, the team split into two with one going to Kolat village in Sanand taluka near Ahmedabad where the first case was reported while the second visited the hospitals where the three victims were treated.


The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has also been collecting tick samples from dogs and cows in Ahmedabad for random sampling since it is these species that are known to transmit the virus.


According to Kachhia Patel, director of the state animal husbandry department, their experts have also visited the village but not a single case of any animal sick and exhibiting symptoms of the fever has been reported so far.

SEARCH

 

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Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Huh?

http://www.dnaindia.com/health/report_no-fresh-cchf-cases-but-gujarat-hospitals-on-alert_1497045

No fresh CCHF cases, but Gujarat hospitals on alert
Published: Thursday, Jan 20, 2011, 19:44 IST
By DNA Correspondent | Place: Ahmedabad | Agency: DNA

No fresh case of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) was detected in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, even as the husband of the first recorded victim of the disease was found to be 'clinically stable'.

Even as no new case of the near-fatal disease came to light in the city during the day, leading hospitals continued to be in a state of alert in case of any potential spurt in cases of the infection.

"The condition of the husband of Ameena Momin, the first known victim of CCHF, is clinically stable. He was admitted on January 16. His platelet count has fallen, but his condition is not deteriorating as in the case of other victims. All efforts are being made to save the patient, but we are keeping our fingers crossed," said Dr Nikhil Lala, deputy medical administrator of Sterling Hospital.

He also said that no new case of CCHF has been detected in their hospital. Officials of Shalby Hospital, Apollo Hospital and Shrey Hospital also informed that no fresh cases of CCHF had come to light.

Doctors and other medical personnel at Shalby and Shrey hospitals, who had come in close contact with CCHF patients, were being monitored.

"All such personnel have been isolated and are being closely monitored by trained doctors. We have also sent their blood samples to National Institute of Virology in Pune. The good thing is that none of them is showing any symptoms of CCHF, and there are no other patients with any suspected signs," Dr Pankaj Doshi, medical director of Shalby, and Dr Dharmanshu Chhaya, administrator of Shrey, said.

Medical sources said that besides the three registered deaths caused by CCHF in the last few days, there have been three to four more deaths due to the same virus. "However, it would have been difficult to ascertain the exact cause of the deaths in absence of proper diagnosis, which was ascertained only on Tuesday," said sources.

While stressing that the CCHF virus was dangerous, medical experts said it was not an air-borne or respiratory disease, and hence possibility of it spreading among masses was very low. However, they urged citizens to take precautions to protect themselves against the virus. "The virus strikes very fast and a patient may not even realise the seriousness of the disease. Our advice is that even in case of high fever, which is a basic symptom of all kinds of viral infections, citizens must not take any chance, and visit a specialist doctor," said Dr Doshi of Shalby. He added that medical staff attending patients suspected of having CCHF must take all the necessary precautions.

Besides high fever, body ache, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain are some of the other symptoms of CCHF virus. Experts said that while the human body automatically develops immunity against the virus in case of flu, the condition deteriorates rapidly in the case of CCHF, which makes it near-fatal.

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Double huh? Maybe these are the contacts, not actuall ill patients.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_there-is-no-reason-to-panic-says-union-health-ministry_1497039

There is no reason to panic, says Union health ministry
Published: Thursday, Jan 20, 2011, 19:35 IST
By Nozia Sayyed | Place: Ahmedabad | Agency: DNA

The Union ministry of health and family welfare will make an assessment of the reports sent by Pune-based National Institute of Virology about the Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF).

The secretary of department of health research and director general of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Dr VM Katoch told DNA from Delhi that the assessment will be done within the next couple of days.

"There is nothing to panic about the situation in Ahmedabad. So far only three patients who tested positive for CCHF have succumbed to the disease. We are keeping an eye on the situation," he claimed.

The hitherto unknown virus that was successfully identified by NIV has killed three patients in the last 15 days in Ahmedabad.

Dr Katoch argued that that the virus is not new.

"The virus was always there in India and is basically found in animals. But this is for the first time that such virus has been found in human beings. This I feel has happened since India had serological evidence from the beginning," he commented.

In the meantime it was learnt that Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has sent blood samples of about 70 patients suspected to be suffering from Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) to Pune based National Institute of Virology. These samples arrived at NIV in the last 48 hours.

A six-member team from National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) is slated to arrive at Ahmedabad from Delhi on Thursday.

The director of NIV Dr AC Mishra said that samples that have come to the institute are being tested and the outcome will be known on Thursday after detail analysis.

 

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Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

It is not clear which patients these samples belong to.

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_crimean-congo-hemorrhagic-fever-samples-test-negative_1497155

Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic fever: Samples test negative
Published: Friday, Jan 21, 2011, 3:00 IST
By Nozia Sayyed | Place: Pune | Agency: DNA

The blood samples collected from patients in Ahmedabad, who were suspected to be suffering from Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) tested negative at National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune on Thursday.

Director of the institute Dr AC Mishra refused to specify the number of blood samples tested at NIV. But, the NIV would be testing more blood samples that arrive from Ahmedabad to confirm whether the patients are suffering from CCHF, he said.

A team was sent to collect samples last week after Shelby Hospital in Ahmedabad contacted NIV to inform them about three patients with similar clinical conditions who were not responding to the treatment.

Two of these patients succumbed to their illness.

However, the NIV team collected blood samples from the third patient last Saturday and was examined in Pune the following day.

As per chief medical officer of Ahmedabad municipal corporation, Dr SP Kulkarni, about 70 blood samples were sent to NIV on Tuesday and Wednesday.

 

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Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

There is a new suspected case at the end of this article.

There is also mention that the family of the index case made the Hajj pilgrimmage last month; this may be an imported outbreak. CCHF is enzootic, but very rare in Saudi Arabia itself, but more common in other countries like Turkey, Pakistan, and Iran, countries that have a large number of Hajj participants.

http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/arti...ongo-fever-Expert-teams-descend-on-Kolat.html

Congo fever: Expert teams descend on Kolat
The question on their mind: how did Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever reach the hamlet with a population of just 10,000



Vipul Rajput

Posted On Friday, January 21, 2011 at 02:58:36 AM







A six-member NCDC team from New Delhi arrived on Thursday


Several scientific agencies are working at the tiny Kolat village to get to the root of the spread of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) that has claimed three lives. State health department officials, animal husbandry experts and a mobile epidemic team of Surat-based Plague Surveillance Unit are already here.

While a six-member NCDC team from New Delhi arrived on Thursday, a team of Bhopal-based High Security Animal Disease Institute (HSADI) is arriving on Friday. Also, National Institute of Virology at Pune is examining blood and saliva samples of human beings and animals. All teams have one common question: how did the tick-borne virus reach a small village, about 40 km from Ahmedabad.

The good news is that the samples of 58 people collected earlier have tested negative. As many as 78 more samples were collected, reports of which are awaited. NIV, in the meanwhile, said there was no need to panic as the transmission of the high risk category virus was slow and it could be arrested with isolation of patients.

Animal husbandry officials have sprayed disinfectant on 5146 heads of cattle. It will be effective for the next two months, said Deputy Director A B Patel. “HSADI team is arriving tomorrow (Friday). They will collect samples of animals and test them,” further he said. People in the village said that animal husbandry department had collected more samples of animals’ blood and saliva.

Health department officials are keeping a watch on the people. Said Regional Deputy Director A M Panchal: “We are monitoring the conditions at Kolat and surrounding villages. We are keeping a close watch on the health of each individual. No one has shown any symptoms of the viral fever.” The department is also trying to catch mice to check if there is any link. Mouse traps have already been laid. A make-shift lab is being set up at the village for ensuring quick report.

Meanwhile, the NCDC team interacted with the family of Aminabanu, the first victim. While praising the effort of the state government to contain the spread of the virus, NCDC joint director UVS Rana said that the team was conducting test on the samples collected from human beings and animals.

“The team’s primary objective is to do a field investigation as to how the tick-borne virus reached a small village here,” Additional Director, Health, Dr Paresh Dave said. “It is important to know the origin of the virus and the route it took to reach here. We have to formulate a strategy to prevent its spread. We have spoken to the family members of the victim (Aminabanu). This will give us insight into the preventive steps to be taken,” Rana said.

The team interacted with Dawood Momin, Aminabanu’s brother-in-law, for about 40 minutes. “They asked us about our Haj trip that we made about a month ago. They wanted to know if we came in contact with anyone from Pakistan or any sick person abroad.” The team also inquired into the family’s source of food. NCDC team also reviewed the course of treatment of the patients at Shalby Hospital where Aminabanu was treated for fever.

Momin added that Aminabanu was admitted to a clinic at Bopal in the beginning. “She was shifted to Shalby after her condition worsened. However, everyone is fine there (at Bopal). This makes me wonder whether she was infected right from the beginning,” Momin said. Meanwhile a cousin of Asha John, the nurse who attended on Aminabanu and succumbed to fever, developed fever.

 

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Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Apparently, they can determine where in the world the virus came from by sequencing it.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...and-origins-in-8-days/articleshow/7329926.cms


AHMEDABAD: A top official at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune has assured that the institute would track the Congo virus's origin in Sanand's Kolat village in eight days and even decipher how it travelled to the quaint village claiming the life of Amina Momin - the virus's first victim - on January 3.

The NIV also said that it was keenly considering Gujarat government's request to extend laboratory facilities and expertise to Ahmedabad for speedy detection of new cases.

"Our tests on blood samples taken from Kolat and its neighboring villages are on. We are simultaneously conducting investigations on the ticks collected from various settlement clusters in Ahmedabad. Results would be matched with the list of families of Congo virus database from various parts of the world. Pakistan and China, our closest neighbours, have had similar outbreaks. We would detect how the Sanand family came into contact with the virus in a week's time or a maximum of eight days as our scientists are working hard to get the tests right," said NIV director Dr AC Mishra.

Advising physicians and general practitioners in Ahmedabad to remain vigilant of unusual fever cases and report them to state health authorities immediately, Mishra said, "the system of timely reporting of suspected cases is crucial to our fight against the spread of the disease. The guidelines to handle suspected and confirmed cases have been issued to the Gujarat government."

Gujarat government's proposal for extending laboratory facilities for early detection, was being considered, he said, but added, "before we extend the facilities to Ahmedabad, training of staff is a must. This would be one of the rare occasions when we are considering such a request. The process is on at the moment."



Read more: NIV to track down Congo virus's Sanand origins in 8 days - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-8-days/articleshow/7329926.cms#ixzz1BcY81EUU

 

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Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/2/20110121201101210304334709aa0db14/Untouchables.html

Untouchables


Vipul Rajput

Posted On Friday, January 21, 2011 at 03:04:33 AM

? Panic over Congo fever has turned Kolat, from where India?s first CCHF victim hailed, into a land of outcasts
? On Thursday, 80 Kolat kids who study in schools outside the village were told to miss classes for 10 days
? A local who serves as a health worker in Ahmedabad was suddenly instructed to go on a five-day leave
? Another local who was in the city to receive his ailing wife could not find an auto willing to take them home
? A Kolat youth suffered worst humiliation: family of the girl he wanted to marry called off the engagement

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) has claimed the life of only one native of Kolat village, about 40 km from Ahmedabad. The fear and stigma associated with the disease, however, is claiming many victims there. Despite the fact that no other serious case has been detected in the village, people living there are being treated as outcasts.

On Thursday, over 80 children of Kolat, who study in schools outside the hamlet, were singled out by their teachers and were categorically told not to attend classes for seven to 10 days over CCHF fears. Gajendrasinh Rana (27), a local who works as a government health worker in Ahmedabad was suddenly instructed to go on a five-day leave.

Another local, Ashok Thakor, who was in the city to see his ailing wife, could not find a single autorickshaw driver willing to take him back to the village. A Kolat youth, who was to get engaged with a girl from another village on Thursday, faced the worst humiliation: the girl?s family called off the ceremony without giving any plausible explanation.

RUDE LESSON
More than 80 children of Kolat village study in five schools in Sanand and nearby areas. On Thursday morning, they learnt the meaning of ostracism when their teachers singled them out and instructed them not to attend classes for the next
7 to 10 days. Their enraged parents have remonstrated with govt authorities.

Villagers baffled, furious

Such deplorable treatment has left villagers baffled and furious. ?There is no panic over Congo fever here. Teams of state health department have screened villagers and livestock, but they have not found any positive case till now. So, why are we being viewed as untouchables?? a local, Pradipsinh, asked.

Kolat, which has a population of 10,000, came to public attention this week after a 30-year-old local, Amina Momin, died of Congo fever during treatment at a private hospital in Ahmedabad, becoming India?s first CCHF victim. Momin?s husband, brother and the nurse who tended her contracted the disease, which is carried by domestic animals and can be transmitted by ticks. The condition of the two family members improved, but the nurse succumbed to the disease on Tuesday.

The deaths have sparked fears of another viral outbreak after swine flu. State health authorities, however, have responded to the situation quickly by dispatching several medical teams to Kolat and areas falling in its 5 km radius to screen people and livestock. Tests so far have not revealed any positive cases.

NO RIDE HOME NO WORK PERMIT
Kalot?s Ashok Thakor wanted to take his wife from a hospital in Sarkhej back home, but no auto driver was ready to ferry them. Kalot?s Gajendrasinh Rana is a health worker at a govt centre in Chandkheda. On Thursday, he was told to stay away from work.

Parents submit complaint

Pradipsinh said that when he came to know that that children of the village were not allowed to attend classes on Thursday, he rallied their parents and submitted a formal complaint to education authorities. ?Parents of 80 to 100 students have signed the complaint,? he said.

Locals said that five schools located outside Kolat turned back their children. Of these, three ? New Era High School, Vaghela Boarding School and Suraj Mukhi School ? are located in Sanand, which is close to the village.

?Students of our village returned home early today (Thursday). When we asked them the reason, they said that their schools had asked them not to attend classes for a week,? Bhikhubha Darbar said. ?Our children are not suffering from any disease, so why are they being treated this way??

?We were singled out?


A student of Suraj Mukhi School, Kishan Thakor, said he was singled out before classes began and was sent back. ?I was told the headmaster had given a seven to 10-day leave to all students from my village,? he said. Pravin Suthar, who studies in Vaghela Boarding School, said that he was given a similar instruction. ?I and others from my village were asked to go home before the morning prayer began. We were told our attendance would be marked even in our absence,? he said.

Kolat native Gajendrasinh Rana (27) has been working with the urban health centre as health worker for the past sometime. On Thursday, he was taken aback when one of the staff members called him and asked him to go on a leave for five to six days.

?I was getting ready for work when I received the call. The person cited CCHF and asked me not to attend duty for some days. I am not suffering from any disease. I don?t understand why I have been asked to stay away from work,? he said.

Kalot local, wife left in lurch

Another native, Ashok Thakor, had admitted his ailing wife to a private hospital in Sarkhej sometime back. On Thursday, hospital staff asked him to take his wife home. This puzzled him because his wife was much better, but not fully fit.

?When I was preparing to take her out of the hospital, family members of some patients told me that the hospital was worried that visitors from Kolat would infect patients with CCHF,? he said. ?I felt we were being discriminated against, but I didn?t object because my wife?s condition had improved.?


Over 80 children from Kolat were not allowed to attend school on Thursday
Thakor realised how deep fears and panic over CCHF were when he tried to hire an auto. ?I approached at least 10 autos, but none of them were ready to take me and my wife back to the village. They said they were afraid that they would contract the viral disease,? he said. ?Finally, one auto driver agreed to take us home, but demanded double the fare.?

?Why is there such panic??

Pradeepsinh said that he failed to fathom the hysteria outside the village. ?If you visit Kalot, you will see that the situation is very calm. I fail to understand why people are seeing this village as the ground of a major viral outbreak,? he said.

He revealed that a youth?s engagement was called off on Thursday after the girl?s family refused to visit the village for the ceremony. Block health officer Bhavna Parikh said that fear among people living outside Kolat was having an adverse social impact. ?We have collected 98 samples of people. Of these, 95 have come negative,? she said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There is NO NEED TO PANIC: NIV
NIV on Thursday said there was no need to panic as the transmission of the high risk category virus was slow and it could be arrested with isolation of patients, reports PTI.

The virus at present appears to be confined to Gujarat from where NIV had received samples and the state government had started screening of all suspected cases, NIV Director A C Mishra said.

Although the virus belongs to high risk category, there was no need to panic as its transmission is slow and can be arrested with isolation of patients in hospital, he said. ?It is important that infections are prevented from spreading by isolating patients in hospitals and precautions are taken,? Mishra said.

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

21/01/2011
Two more test positive for Congo virus, kept under isolation

Ahmedabad, Jan 21 (PTI) Two persons, including the husband of the 30-year-old woman who died of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) recently at a private hospital here, have tested positive for the fatal virus causing the disease, Gujarat health officials said today.
"Rehman, husband of the woman who died due to CCHF has tested positive for the virus causing the disease. Also, one male staff nurse of the private hospital in the city where Amina was undergoing treatment, has tested positive," Additional Director (Health), Dr Paresh Dave told PTI.
Dave said their test reports were received today and the condition of the infected duo was stable. They are undergoing treatment under isolation at government hospitals, he said.
Yesterday, 58 samples (from humans), collected from Kolat village, had tested negative for CCHF, he said.
"We have sent 132 more samples to the National Institute of Virology (NIV). Their results are awaited," Dave added.

...

http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4826309

 

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Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

The reporting is a bit jumbled, but I believe the situation is:

Amina (30) - Died January 3 - No samples taken, but epidemiologically linked
Gagan, doctor - Died January 13 - No samples taken, but treated Amina
Asha John (25) - Died January 18 - Laboratory confirmed, treated Amina
Rehman Hussain - Alive and recovering - Laboratory confirmed, husband of Amina
Additional male nurse (name unknown) - Alive, condition unknown, Laboratory confirmed
Rasool Hussain - Alive, condition unknown, possibly recovering, Probable case, brotehr of Amina
Cousin of Asha John - Alive, fever, tests pending

Several other articles have mentioned suspect cases or suspect deaths, but with no consistency, and no clear contact relationships to the cluster above. There is also a report that Amina may have participated in the Hajj to Saudi Arabia in mid-December, which means she may have been exposed outside Gujarat.

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

This is the first inkling of increased spread. I am not convinced of its truth.

Border vigil to keep Congo fever out of Mumbai
Published: Saturday, Jan 22, 2011, 3:59 IST
By Surendra Gangan & Priyanka Sharma | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA

The state government has flagged an alert over the outbreak Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) in the city. The state health department and the civic machinery have geared up to prevent transmission of the virus from neighbouring Gujarat.

The public health department held a review meeting on Thursday and has directed the bordering districts to be extra vigilant. The viral disease has spelt doom in Kolat, a district in Gujarat, where three people have succumbed to it. Twenty-six patients in Sanand district have also tested positive.


...

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_border-vigil-to-keep-congo-fever-out-of-mumbai_1497547

 

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Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Just a reminder that while Ribavirin has a positive effect on CCHF, it is a nasty drug, and should not be used as a prophylactic.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...te-focus-on-detection/articleshow/7337004.cms


AHMEDABAD: The high toxicity of Ribavirin - the anti-viral drug used to treat Congo fever - is one of the main reasons the Gujarat government wants to set up a high-tech laboratory to detect CCHF cases. Early detection will ensure that the drug is administered to only those patients who are diagnosed with the fever.

But there are certain stringent conditions that need to be met before the testing facilities are extended to Ahmedabad. Health minister Jaynarayan Vyas said that state authorities were prepared to upgrade the testing laboratory to Biosafety Level (BSL) 4 Plus, as required to detect for the Congo virus. Currently, the laboratory at the BJ Medical College is equipped with BSL-3 resources, acquired after the H1N1 outbreak.

"We understand that the Congo fever is caused by a highly virulent virus," Vyas said, adding, "The National Institute of Virology NIV officials have told us that the staff needs to undergo extensive technical training to test for this virus." We are ready to invest in infrastructure and human resource upgrade."

Vyas said that unlike Tamiflu used for H1N1, Ribavirin was a highly toxic drug and came with severe side-effects. "It would be better if we have a testing laboratory here so that we can test patients before the drug is administered," he said.

Infectious diseases expert Dr Atul Patel said that Ribavirin was reportedly effective in controlling the Congo fever virus. "Amina's husband Rehman was given the drug after he was admitted to a hospital with the fever, abdominal pain, vomiting and head-ache," Patel said. "And he has responded very well over the past three days. His parameters have improved dramatically."

Patel said that physicians needed to be careful as one of the prime side-effects of Ribavirin was the breakdown of RBC [red blood cells -alert]. "Blood count needs to be constantly monitored while the patient is on the anti-viral drug," he said.

NIV director Dr AC Mishra told TOI that Gujarat's demand for an extended laboratory facility was being considered seriously by the institute.



Read more: Gujarat to upgrade lab to detect CCHF casesToxic antidote makes state focus on detection - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...tection/articleshow/7337004.cms#ixzz1Bj5J5X4Y

 

[alert]

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_no-update-on-138-samples-sent-to-niv-says-govt_1497729

No update on 138 samples sent to NIV, says govt
Published: Saturday, Jan 22, 2011, 15:40 IST
By Paras K Jha | Place: Gandhinagar | Agency: DNA

Except for the information on the two CCHF cases that were conformed on Friday, the state health department did not reveal much. While the first CCHF victim Ameena Momin?s husband Rehman Hussain was confirmed to be a CCHF case, Prashant
Joy, a male nurse at Shalby Hospital, was also detected to have CCHF virus.

Additional director (health) Dr Paresh Dave said: ?Apart from the two positive cases, there is nothing to share.? On the status of 138 samples sent to NIV on Wednesday, he said that the updates on the test results were awaited.

Dr SJ Gandhi, deputy director of epidemic branch of state health department, said: ?Till now, only two cases have been confirmed positive.?

However, when asked what happened to the 136 samples out of 138, he did not say anything. On Thursday, the state government had announced that the first batch of 58 samples sent to NIV on Tuesday tested negative. While Ameena's husband tested positive, her brother Hussain Momin tested negative. One more suspicious case, Ameena's relative Leema, was kept under observation in the isolation ward.

On Friday, a two-member team from the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL), Bhopal, visited Gujarat and collected samples of animal blood, serum, blood clots and ticks for testing.Dr AJ Kachhiapatel, director of state animal husbandry department, said: "The two-member team from HSADL visited Gujarat on Friday and took the samples from Kolat. Besides, our surveillance activities are going on in eight villages around Kolat."

According to Kachhiapatel, there are no CCHF symptoms found in animals. "So the samples would be tested to know the presence of CCHF virus in them. Actually, this whole exercise is undertaken to find out the link of transmission of CCHF virus from animals to humans."

 

[alert]

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Prashant Joy, the male nurse who is the third "confirmed" case, apparently has tested positive, but not experienced any symptoms (yet). Asymptomatic CCHF is not something widely reported, although there were some questionable reports of it in Pakistan last year (http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=153195&page=2). Odd.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/repor...dabad-doctors-say-both-are-doing-fine_1497725

2 more Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever cases in Ahmedabad, doctors say both are doing fine
Published: Saturday, Jan 22, 2011, 15:30 IST
Place: Ahmedabad | Agency: DNA

Two more cases of the deadly Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), which has already claimed three lives in Ahmedabad in the past fortnight or so, were detected on Friday, taking the number of confirmed CCHF cases to five.

While one of them is the husband of CCHF’s first victim Ameena Momin, the second person carrying the virus is a male nurse at Shalby Hospital, where patients suffering from the near-fatal infection were treated earlier. The National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, confirmed that Prashant Joy, 23, working at Shalby Hospital, was infected with CCHF virus. The revelation came after blood samples sent to the institute on Thursday were tested.

However, the blood samples of other medical staff and their
family members tested negative for the virus.

Paresh Dave, additional director, state health department, confirmed that two fresh cases of CCHF infection had been detected on Friday. Authorities at Shalby Hospital also said that one of their staff members had been found to be infected with CCHF virus. “The NIV report shows that Prashant Joy’s blood has a certain load of CCHF virus. We have kept him under isolation and he is being closely monitored,” Dr Pankaj Doshi, medical director, Shalby Hospitals, said.

According to hospital officials, Prashant was among the medical staff that had tended to Ameena Momin, the first patient of CCHF, and Asha John, the nurse, who died because of the deadly virus three days ago. He said they had already begun Prashant’s treatment, and they were confident that he would be free from the virus once the course was completed.

Doshi, however, stated that he was an asymptomatic carrier of the CCHF virus, and it was not right to call him a patient. Prashant, a native of Kerala, is working with Shalby for around five months.

In addition to Prashant, Rehman Hussain, the husband of Ameena Momin, was also confirmed to be carrying the deadly virus on Friday. Rehman is undergoing treatment at Sterling Hospital since January 17 for suspected CCHF infection. But it was only today that the infection was confirmed as CCHF, said authorities. However, Sterling officials said that Rehman's condition was improving. "Rehman's condition was critical for first two days, but his condition has gradually improved since. He has no fever, body ache or other problems, and his vital organs are improving. He has tested positive for CCHF today, but we are confident of his full recovery," Dr Kamlesh Patel, consultant microbiologist and in-charge of infection control department, Sterling Hospital, said.

Authorities at the two hospitals said that the other medical staffers, who had come in contact with CCHF patients, are being screened and closely monitored.

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Sanand Remains Under Scanner for CCHF Virus
by Dr. Trupti Shirole on January 22, 2011 at 12:08 PM

Indian Health News

Health teams collected blood samples of 250 cattle to detect the presence of the deadly CCHF virus, from Kolat village in Sanand and surrounding areas. These samples have been sent to Bhopal and National Institute of Virology, Pune, for testing. Since two more people tested positive for Congo fever, they also carried out close surveillance on people suffering from fever in a 5km radius of Sanand.


Blood reports of 132 people are awaited who came in close contact with the 3 people who succumbed due to Combo fever. While among the 98 people who were kept under observation for Congo fever, only 3 are reported to have mild fever, while the rest of them are getting better.

Health officials said, "There is currently no symptomatic prevalence of the virus in the community in Kolat." Since the virus has a longer incubation period, surveillance in the area will be continued for 14 days.


Read more: Sanand Remains Under Scanner for CCHF Virus http://www.medindia.net/news/Sanand-Remains-Under-Scanner-for-CCHF-Virus-79759-1.htm#ixzz1BlXIeFWF

 

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Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

And the ticks come back positive, too, removing suspicion of this as an imported outbreak.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...s-full-of-Congo-virus/articleshow/7343851.cms


NEW DELHI: The virus causing the deadly Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) has been found in high quantiti-es from ticks collected from par-ts of Ahmedabad. However, the infected ticks do not die of the virus unlike humans, but actually facilitate its transmission. This has made scientists from the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, believe that the virus is now openly circulating in the environment and has not been brought into India from other CCHF endemic countries.

Director of NIV Dr AC Mishra told TOI that two pools of ticks (20 ticks) collected from the area, which has reported positive cases of CCHF for the first time in India among humans, "had a very high viral content."

"We're trying to answer the question as to whether the virus has been moving around in our environment or has it been newly introduced. After testing, we've found that a particular variety of ticks, Hyalomma, which is known to act as vectors of several diseases, was carrying the CCHF causing virus in high quantities. This leads us to believe that the virus is now present in our environment and might not have been imported," said Dr Mishra.

Entomologists had collected 274 ticks from the affected village and Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation area and sent them to the NIV, Pune, and High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal. Around 15 rodent samples have also been sent to the Bhopal lab.

Hyalomma is a genus of hard-bodied ticks common in Asia, Europe and North Africa. Their bites cause the surrounding tissue to die and become necrotic. It is well adapted to living in arid biotopes. They have long been credited with spreading the virus that causes the life threatening CCHF, says an entomologist.

Dr Mishra added, "We've picked up samples from domesticated cattle to see if they are infected with the virus. Animals can be infected but they don't die of it. They just harbour the virus much like the ticks which acts as a reservoir. If the virus is present in the cattle, it could have spread from them. Cutting meat infected with the virus could lead to its spread to humans."

These ticks can circulate the virus in the environment for many years.



Read more: Ahmedabad tick samples full of Congo virus - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...o-virus/articleshow/7343851.cms#ixzz1BoB1jot7

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ive-Rehman-recovering/articleshow/7343881.cms


AHMEDABAD: The husband of Congo fever victim Amina Momin, who succumbed on January 3, is doing well and his condition is very stable, attending doctors said. Doctors said Rehman who tested positive for Congo fever is ready to be discharged but state health authorities have directed Sterling Hospital to keep him admitted for the next few days.


[snip]

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation screens 15 more people for deadly congo fever virus
Published: Sunday, Jan 23, 2011, 16:04 IST
By DNA Correspondent | Place: Ahmedabad | Agency: DNA

In amove to check further spread of the Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) virus, health officials of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) on Saturday screened 15 people who came have come in close contact with the two patients - a male nurse and the first victim of CCHF Ameena Momin's husband. The two had tested positive of the CCHF virus on Friday.

...

AMC officials have also analysed the 175 deaths reported in the city in the last two days for cause of death and symptoms related to CCHF. They say that this is to find out if the health of the relatives of the deceased needs to be monitored.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/repor...e-people-for-deadly-congo-fever-virus_1498177

 

[Treyfish]

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

'Congo virus doesn't spread as fast as H1N1'

Kounteya Sinha, TNN, Jan 24, 2011, 12.21am IST

NEW DELHI: The virus that causes Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is slow moving and will not spread across the country as fast as the H1N1 swine flu virus, experts have said. However, the mortality rate among those affected by Congo virus will be far more than H1N1.

In an exclusive interview to TOI, Dr A C Mishra, director of the National Institute of Virology, Pune, said different viruses have different characteristics. Influenza viruses like H1N1 have very high transmissibility rate and could spread across a country or nations in no time. "That's not the case with the Congo fever virus. It is slow moving and can be contained within hospital or ICU settings with proper containment measures," Dr Mishra said.

"However..:tiphat:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...pread-as-fast-as-H1N1/articleshow/7349650.cms

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Male nurse declared free of Congo fever virus in Ahmedabad
Published: Monday, Jan 24, 2011, 15:34 IST
By DNA Correspondent | Place: Ahmedabad | Agency: DNA

One of the two patients in the city undergoing treatment for Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is free of the deadly virus after three days of treatment.

Shalby Hospital authorities said Prashant Joy, a male nurse who was shifted to the isolation ward for treatment after he tested positive to the virus three days back, tested negative late on Saturday night.

...

The state's health authorities said on Sunday that they had received no fresh reports of new cases from anywhere. ?The situation is normal and we are waiting for the reports on the samples,? said Dr Paresh Dave, additional director, health department.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/repor...ree-of-congo-fever-virus-in-ahmedabad_1498518

 

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Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

Re: Gujarat: CCHF claims 3 lives including attending doctor and nurse

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/First-Congo-virus-survivor/articleshow/7356710.cms


AHMEDABAD: Rehman Hussain, husband of Amina Momin who was the first victim of Congo fever in India, has recovered from Congo virus infection and is fit to be discharged from hospital. Rehman was brought to Sterling Hospital few days after his wife died on January 3. He is a resident of Kolat village near Sanand in Ahmedabad, where ticks have been found to carry high amount of the Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) virus.

"Rehman is doing absolutely fine. All his parameters are normal and his platelet count has increased to a healthy 1.44 lakh," attending infectious diseases consultant at Sterling Hospital Dr Atul Patel said. Rehman is currently in isolation ward and has started taking full diet and spends time watching TV and reading newspapers, he added.

Rehman's recovery is important as he is the first confirmed survivor of the dreaded Congo fever virus that has a mortality rate ranging between 50 to 90 per cent. So far, three Congo fever deaths have been recorded in India, all in Gujarat, since its breakout in first week of January.

"He was given Ribavirin medicine after his symptoms were found to be similar to those of his wife Amina Momin. National Institute of Virology (NIV) confirmed him to be suffering from Congo fever after the first blood samples were sent there," said Dr Patel.

While Rehman is well enough to be discharged, he will have to spend two more days in the hospital till he completes the ten-day course of anti-viral treatment, Dr Patel said adding, he can start leading a normal life once he is discharged.

The doctors have documented the dose which was given to Rehman and the way the patient responded to the anti-viral treatment. These details will to be sent to the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) to add to the present knowledge on fighting the lethal disease.



Read more: First Congo virus survivor - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...urvivor/articleshow/7356710.cms#ixzz1C094Vvi5