KARACHI: Health authorities in Karachi confirmed on Friday that a 28-year-old butcher has died from Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), marking the sixth fatality from the tick-borne virus in Pakistan this year.
All six deaths in 2025 have been reported in the southern Sindh province, including five in Karachi, the provincial capital and Pakistan’s largest city.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), CCHF is a tick-borne viral disease with a case fatality rate ranging from 10% to 40%.
The virus is transmitted through tick bites or by coming into contact with the blood or tissues of infected animals, especially during slaughter. Currently, there is no available vaccine.
In the latest case, the patient—identified by the Sindh Health Department only as Zubair—was admitted to Jinnah Hospital on September 24 with symptoms including high fever, hematemesis (vomiting blood), melena (black, tarry stools), low blood pressure, and rapid heart rate (tachycardia). He was suspected of having contracted the Congo virus and was placed in isolation but succumbed to the illness later the same day.
“A Lab confirmed Crimean- Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) reported from on September 26th 2025,” the Sindh health department notification said.
“After verification, the surveillance team investigated the cases and collected information regarding exposure, contact history and associated risk factors.”
The first fatality for 2025 was reported in June, and the last in August.
Pakistan reported its first case of the Congo virus in 1976 and has since experienced sporadic outbreaks, primarily in rural regions. Provinces like southwestern Balochistan remain particularly affected, recording 23 cases and five deaths last year alone.
