JEDDAH: The Directorate of Health Affairs in Jeddah has warned the public over Al-Khurma fever, particularly people who deal with cattle or meat. Four cases of the virus have been confirmed in Jeddah over the last three weeks. One of them is a butcher.
"The major symptoms of the disease include fever accompanied by body pains and headaches for three to eight days, rashes or nose bleeds and blood in the urine or stool," Director of Health Affairs in Jeddah Sami Badawood said on Monday.
The virus may affect the liver and lead to symptoms of jaundice in some cases. It is also known to attack the nervous system, resulting in comas, spasms or stiffness in the neck, Badawood added.
The primary difference between Al-Khurma fever and dengue fever is that the former is transmitted through ticks found on animals. Mosquitoes spread the dengue virus.
Due to this, it is important to avoid unnecessary contact with cattle or uncooked meat and regularly disinfect animals to eliminate ticks, according to Badawood.
He also recommended wearing gloves while handling raw meat at home.
He advised against drinking milk that is not pasteurized, particularly after milking cows.
Anyone who displays symptoms of Al-Khurma fever is being urged to visit the nearest medical center. Medical staff should also be informed if any recent contact has been made with animals or uncooked meat.
The director also noted that the disease has incorrectly been called Al-Khamra fever by some media.
"The correct name is Al-Khurma fever which is attributed to Al-Khurma, a town near Taif where the virus was first detected in goats in 1994," the director said.
Six people in Jeddah contracted the disease that year.
While there is no evidence of mosquitoes carrying the disease, there is a likelihood that domestic pets carrying ticks could transmit the disease to humans.
