Congo virus 2013: another public health failure in Pakistan?

In the last few years, Pakistan has been expeiencing its worst public health crisis in history. ailure to curtail the polio endemic allowed it to pread to other countries only a few days after he country’s worst ever dengue outbreak had subided. Matters have been further complicated as akistan is battling another major potential disease utbreak in the form of Crimean Congo Hemorhagic Fever (CCHF). CCHF, more commonly known s Congo virus, became analogous to Pakistan when he first case was reported in 1976 and became ndemic in 2000 [1]. The normal trend of CCHF was efied this year as the country reported the highest umber of CCHF positive cases in history. From 1 January 2013 to mid-June, 2013 only 6 cases of the disease were reported, with six eaths [1]. The death of four brothers in Khyber ukthunkhawa, all butchers by profession, on 7 eptember 2013, marked the beginning of an expoential rise of the virus [2]. In 2012, there were 2 cases, while in 2013 thus far, there have been 77 ositive cases and 18 deaths throughout the country 3,4]. The majority of these cases were in people ith a history of contact with animals or animal kins [3]. As in the past, the Baluchistan and Khyber Pukunkhawa provinces have again been the epicenters f this year’s rise in cases of CCHF, reporting the ighest number of cases in the country [5]. Howver, new geographical expansions of the virus to F