Tribute paid to victim of fever

Oct 7 2012

A married father who died in the UK's first case of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) has been described as "hard working and family orientated".

The 38-year-old, who had a young son, died in hospital on Saturday - two days after laboratory tests confirmed he had the disease.

He returned to the UK from Afghanistan on Tuesday, via a connecting flight from Dubai.

His friend Mohammed Asif said he was an Afghan national who came to Britain seeking asylum several years ago and lived with his wife and young son, aged around five or six, in Glasgow, where he owned a garage in the east end. Mr Asif said the man had been in Afghanistan to attend his brother's wedding in Samangan Province.

Concerns have now been raised about three of his family members in the village of Aibak, Afghanistan, who are said to be displaying symptoms of the fever.

Mr Asif, acting chairman of the Scottish Afghan Society, of which the man was a member, said: "I spoke with friends over there about two hours ago, one of his brothers is having the same problems he did - vomiting, body aches and pains in his ear. Two women from the family also have some symptoms.

"We have tried to give them advice, telling them that anyone showing symptoms should stay away from the rest of the family. We have also contacted a local politician and sent over British news reports to be translated, to let them know how dangerous it can be. His family have only found out he died in the last few hours."

The man was picked up from Glasgow Airport on Tuesday by a friend, and within three hours was admitted to hospital. He was initially treated in isolation at Gartnavel General Hospital's Brownlee Centre, which specialises in infectious disease, before being flown from Scotland to a high-security infectious disease unit at London's Royal Free Hospital.

Mr Asif said the man missed his original connecting flight from Dubai and stayed the night in a hotel, but did not leave the airport.

Mr Asif would not confirm the man's name as some members of his family in Afghanistan are still being notified.