Shakur Ullah Khan, a doctor, in Quetta of Balochistan on Sunday lost his life on duty to Congo virus, an official said.

“Four other doctors have also contracted this virus. May Allah bless them with speedy recovery,” Commissioner Quetta Division Muhammed Hamza Shafqaat wrote on X while sharing a picture of Khan.

Caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab Mohsin Naqvi, while extending his condolences to the deceased doctor’s family, said that Khan set an example of helping humankind.

The nation is proud of the doctors who are treating patients, he said, while paying rich tribute to the doctors who are busy treating Congo patients.

What is Congo Virus

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is caused by infection with a virus from that is transmitted by ticks. Crimean hemorrhagic fever was the term given to the illness when it was first identified in the Crimea in 1944. The disease’s current name came about as a result of the fact that it was later identified as the illness’s primary cause in the Congo in 1969.

Humans contract the disease by coming into contact with infected ticks or animal blood, infectious blood, or bodily fluids. The hosts of the CCHF virus include a wide range of wild and domestic animals such as cattle, sheep, goats and other livestock.

Hospitals have also documented cases of CCHF spreading because of contaminated medical supplies, reused needles, and insufficient sterilization of medical equipment.