ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) in collaboration with the international and national research organisations, donor agencies and other stakeholders have launched a series of seminar and road shows in order to educate the masses and create awareness among them about the Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF). Besides, the PARC is taking several other steps for sensitising the common man against this viral disease and started campaign through its mobile veterinary clinic in the Islamabad Capital Territory and other areas of the country to avoid any outbreak of the CCHF. The CCHF is a widespread, tick-borne viral disease affecting humans, as it endemic in many regions, such as Africa, Asia, Eastern and Southern Europe and Central Asia. There is no specific treatment or vaccine against CCHF and it is considered an emerging zoonotic disease in many countries, it said adding that recently, the incidence of CCHF has increased rapidly in the countries of the World Health Organisation-Eastern Mediterranean Region (WHO-EMR), with sporadic human cases and outbreaks of CCHF being reported from a number of countries in the region. Pakistan is ranked #4 in the overall CCHF cases in WHO-EMR and scientists of PARC have been engaged in the development of WHO-CCHF research and development road map for preventing epidemics, it added. It said that PARC is having research collaboration with WHO Collaborating Centre for Virus Reference & Research, Public Health England and Department of Infectious Diseases Tokyo, Japan for the development of diagnostics. PARC has recently granted a research project on the development of diagnostic assays for CCHF and scientists are actively engaged and assisted in the preparation of CCHF contingency plan for the Pakistan in consultation with National Institute of Health, Islamabad. The research council has also advised the general public for adopting precautionary measures to prevent from the Congo fever and asked for keep away from the animals having ticks and only select tick free animals for sacrificial purposes and apply anti-tick sprays on animals before entering the livestock market. It asked that do not handle or try to pick ticks from animals, bare handed and always use full sleeve and bright color shirts, when going to animal markets and no body part should be exposed. The ticks could be easily seen on bright color cloths. Do not handle meat bare handed and keep children away from animals, besides professional butchers may be hired for slaughtering animals and area where the animal was slaughtered should be washed thoroughly using disinfectants, it added. In case of appearance of symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, pain in muscles and abdomen, immediately consult physician. Published in Daily Times, August 10th 2018.