Muscat:  An expatriate woman has died of haemorrhagic Congo fever at Al Buraimi Hospital, according to an official at the Ministry of Health.

The Oman News Agency, quoting an unnamed ministry official, reported that the woman was admitted to government hospital in Buraimi last Wednesday.

“All necessary procedures were followed in such cases of communicable diseases, but the woman died in the midnight due to her late arrival at the hospital,” the health ministry official said.

Tick-borne virus

The pathogenic virus, especially common in East and West Africa, is a widespread tick-borne viral disease, a zoonosis of domestic animals and wild animals that may affect humans with aomost 30 per cent mortality rate.

The Health Ministry official said that epidemic detection teams in the country continue to take precautions and are liaising with the departments concerned such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources to get to the root of the cause of disease.

The official, who stressed that the viral fever was not widespread, urged the public not to panic and spread false information through social media without authentic information.