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KARACHI: A 25-year-old fisherman has died from Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) in Karachi, health authorities confirmed on Thursday, marking Pakistan’s second fatality from the tick-borne virus this year.

The patient, Mohammad Zubair, a resident of Qur’angi Creek in Bin Qasim Town, butchered animals for two days during Eid Al-Adha earlier this month and developed high-grade fever, muscle pain and bleeding complications days later, according to a report by the District Health Officer (DHO) Malir.

“Active search of case was done surrounding that area, no any other case was found,” the official notification said, adding that Zubair’s family members were stable and showing no symptoms of the disease.

This comes just days after a 42-year-old man, also from Karachi’s Malir district, died of CCHF on June 17. According to the Sindh Health Department, his test report came back positive a day earlier, making him the province’s first confirmed fatality from the virus this year.

The Congo virus, which has a fatality rate ranging between 10 to 40 percent depending on timely treatment and the patient’s condition, is endemic in parts of Africa, Europe and Asia. In Pakistan, infections often spike around Eid Al-Adha, when millions of animals are bought, transported and slaughtered, increasing human exposure to infected ticks and animal blood.

Local health teams have carried out community awareness sessions in Karachi’s affected areas and advised residents to use protective clothing and follow hygiene measures when handling livestock.

There is currently no approved vaccine for the Congo virus, though experimental trials are underway in Europe.

Pakistan reported its first case of CCHF in 1976 and continues to see sporadic outbreaks, particularly in rural areas and provinces like Balochistan, which recorded 23 cases and five deaths last year.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs is finalizing preparations to launch early registration for both private and government Hajj 2026 schemes to streamline the pilgrimage process, state media reported on Wednesday.

The move follows a directive from ����ֱ��’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to begin preparations for Hajj 2026 well in advance.

This year’s Hajj pilgrimage took place from June 4 to June 9, drawing millions of worshippers to Islam’s holiest sites in ����ֱ��. Pakistan sent more than 115,000 pilgrims under both government and private schemes.

“The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony is finalizing preparations to begin early registration for Hajj 2026 within the next few days,” the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said.

It added that advance registration would be mandatory for all intending pilgrims under both the government and private schemes and applicants would have to submit a specified token amount with their registration forms, which would later be adjusted against the total Hajj package cost.

Only designated banks will be authorized to handle registrations, which will be a prerequisite for eligibility under the Hajj 2026 program, APP said.

Pilgrims will be able to choose between the government and private Hajj schemes after completing the initial registration process.

Individuals who missed this year’s Hajj under the private scheme must complete a fresh registration to be eligible for Hajj 2026, according to the APP report.

“The registration data will be shared with the Saudi authorities, who will use it to allocate Pakistan’s official Hajj quota,” APP said.

A formal advertisement detailing the registration procedure and eligibility requirements will be issued in the coming days.

Pakistan’s Director General Hajj, Abdul Wahab Soomro, said this week the government would strive to make next year’s pilgrimage “even better” for pilgrims, with improved facilities, especially for the elderly.

Pakistan began its post-Hajj flight operations on June 11 with the arrival of a Pakistan International Airlines flight, PK-732, in Islamabad carrying 307 pilgrims. The flights are expected to conclude by July 10.

According to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, more than 11,400 pilgrims, including around 3,000 from Madinah, have returned to Pakistan so far.