Two JPMC doctors suspected of contracting Congo virus
KARACHI: At two house officers at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) have showed suspected symptoms of the deadly Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF).
The doctors had provided medical care to a patient diagnosed with Crimean-Congo fever last week. The infected patient was later shifted to the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital, where he passed away during treatment on June 19.
Hospital authorities have sent PCR samples of the doctors for testing, while concerns mount over the availability of proper protective equipment and infection control protocols for frontline healthcare workers.
Executive Director, JPMC, Prof Dr Shahid Rasool, has confirmed that two house officers have shown symptoms suggestive of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), including high-grade fever and abdominal pain.
He informed that one of the doctors is isolating at home, while the other has been admitted to the Medical ICU for close monitoring. He stated that one house officer is exhibiting nearly 90% of the clinical signs associated with the Congo virus.
“The symptoms appeared just a day after both doctors provided medical care to a Congo virus patient,” he added. The PCR samples of both doctors have been sent to the laboratory, and the results are expected on Monday.
Dr Rasool further informed that a dedicated fever desk has been established in the emergency department.
However, the hospital currently lacks the capacity to set up a large-scale isolation unit. Any further action regarding isolation facilities will be taken in accordance with directives from the provincial health department.
