Ahmedabad:
A local hospital is on alert as a resident doctor died of the dreaded Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (Congo fever) in Ahmedabad today.
Dr Smiral Patel of V S Hospital, who contracted the virus while treating a patient with unknown haemorrhagic viral fever, today died at a private hospital.
"We started screening all ward boys, nursing staff and resident doctors as soon as we received the positive report of the blood sample of Dr Patel from the National Institute of Virology, Pune," said Dr Pankaj Patel, the superintendent of the Municipal Corporation-run V S Hospital.
"On Wednesday, while Dr Smiral Patel was treating a patient, a splash of patient's blood landed on his face. Next day he complained of high-grade fever, severe headache, and metallic taste in his mouth. He was immediately rushed here.
But today he passed away," said Dr Atul Patel, senior consultant at Sterling Hospital, where Dr Smiral was undergoing treatement.
Authorities at the V S Hospital have started checking up everybody who was in the team with Dr Smiral, and given preventive medicines to his colleagues, who had taken him to the private hospital and stayed with him.