Islamabad: Pakistan reported 82 confirmed cases of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) with 20 deaths in 2025, pushing the case fatality rate to over 24 percent, as the National Institute of Health warned of heightened transmission risks ahead of Eid-ul-Azha due to increased human-animal interaction and urged urgent preventive measures nationwide.
In an advisory issued by its Centre for Disease Control, the NIH said the tick-borne viral disease carries a global fatality rate ranging from 10 to 40 percent and continues to pose a serious public health threat in Pakistan, where sporadic cases have been reported since 1976, particularly in Balochistan.
The advisory noted a sharp rise in cases from 61 infections in 2024 to 82 in 2025, with a significantly higher fatality rate than global averages, while four cases have already been reported as of March 2026.
Health authorities warned that the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha season could accelerate transmission due to increased contact with livestock, stressing the need for heightened vigilance, particularly among high-risk groups including livestock handlers, butchers, veterinarians and healthcare workers.
CCHF is transmitted through bites of infected ticks or contact with blood and tissues of infected animals, especially during slaughtering. Human-to-human transmission can also occur through exposure to infected blood and bodily fluids, including in healthcare settings due to lapses in infection control.
The NIH cautioned that hospital-acquired infections remain a major risk due to unsafe practices such as reuse of needles, poor sterilization and inadequate protective measures.
Clinically, the disease presents with sudden onset of high fever, headache, muscle pain and gastrointestinal symptoms, followed in severe cases by bleeding, bruising and multi-organ complications. Experts warn that its symptoms often resemble dengue hemorrhagic fever, making early diagnosis challenging.
There is currently no widely available vaccine for CCHF, and treatment is primarily supportive, although the antiviral drug ribavirin has shown benefit in some cases.
The advisory called for immediate preventive actions at community and institutional levels, including use of protective clothing, tick control measures in livestock, safe handling of animals during slaughter and strict adherence to infection prevention protocols in healthcare settings.
It also urged quarantine and treatment of animals before slaughter, use of acaricides to control tick populations and public awareness campaigns to reduce exposure risks.
Healthcare facilities have been directed to implement strict infection control measures, ensure safe sample collection and transport, and handle suspected cases in high-containment laboratory settings.
The NIH said strengthening surveillance, early detection and coordinated response mechanisms would be critical to preventing outbreaks, particularly during high-risk periods such as Eid-ul-Azha when human-animal contact increases significantly.
Ends