Congo Fever
You can be killed by an exotic variety of diseases in India. But until recently Congo fever was not one of them. A tick-borne virus, endemic to parts of Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere, it passes easily from livestock to man, and then between humans. Horrible symptoms include fever, internal bleeding and liver failure. Some 30% of infected humans die, usually within a couple of weeks. The authorities in western India were therefore alarmed when a medical intern died of the disease, formally known as Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever. Previously it had killed three others: a patient, plus a doctor and nurse who had cared for her. These appear to be the first recorded deaths in India from the illness. The fever’s arrival is a mystery. Nobody is predicting an imminent plague. But in a region with booming human population, a strong agricultural industry and lively trade, a virus that threatens both livestock and humans is indeed troubling.