Muscat: Smuggled livestock could have caused Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) to a Bangladeshi expatriate, who died last week in Buraimi, according to reliable sources.
Sources at the Buraimi Hospital said the death of an illegal Pakistani resident, who was involved in handling livestock, could also have been caused by CCHF two week ago.
The unclaimed body of the Pakistani was still lying in the Buraimi hospital morgue but no investigation was carried out to determine his death although his symptoms were similar to CCHF.
"There is a thriving trade of illegally imported livestock as it comes much cheaper than the livestock imported with proper certification from the authorities," the sources said, adding that mostly these smuggled livestock come from the Horn of Africa.
It is believed that the infected livestock smuggled into country could have infected the deceased as Oman is believed to largely free of such tick-borne viral infection.
Restaurant cook died
The middle-aged Bangladeshi who died last week was not a woman as reported earlier. He was a cook working with a restaurant in Buraimi. The health authorities are confused about how the restaurant employee contracted the infection when he had no direct contact with the livestock.
However, a source believes that the Bangladeshi could be working part time in loading/unloading of smuggled livestock and could have contracted infection while handling the ‘illegal cargo'.
Ministry of Health (MoH) has cautioned the public about misleading information about the CCHF. "A lot of the information is exaggerated," a statement issued by the MoH said Sunday.
Transmitted by ticks
The ministry statement said that the disease is transmitted by Ixodid (hard) ticks, especially those of the genus, Hyalomma, which is both a reservoir and a vector for the CCHF virus.
Numerous wild and domestic animals, such as cattle, goats, sheep and hares, serve as amplifying hosts for the virus. Transmission to humans occurs through contact with infected animal blood or ticks. The fever can be transmitted from one infected human to another by contact with infectious blood or body fluids. Documented spread of CCHF has also occurred in hospitals due to improper sterilisation of medical equipment, re-use of injection needles, and contamination of medical supplies.
Died within hours
The MoH statement stressed that only one case was reported with CCHF. "The victim presented late for medical attention and passed away within few hours, on Wednesday, in Buraimi hospital. No other cases with similar presentation are reported," the statement reiterated.
Scoffing at rumours, the ministry spokesperson said that anti-viral medicine was only given to the healthcare providers in Buraimi Hospital and the immediate contacts including the colleagues of the Bangladeshi cook, who died.
"Doctors and nurses are working in safe environment and there is no case of Crimean Congo fever among healthcare providers," the spokesperson added.
Urging residents of Buraimi, which borders with Al Ain, not to panic, the MoH spokesperson said: "There is no need to worry as no new cases are reported among the community in Burami or the staff of the hospital or the health centre."
The Ministry also reports in a section of the media that restaurants in Buraimi were closed down. "The only restaurant that was closed for further investigation is the one which the infected individual was working in.
