The ministries of Health (MoH) Agriculture and Fisheries (MoAF) and Regional Municipalities and Water Resources (MRMWR) have appealed to the general public to be cautious during the festival. Authorities are on alert this year after six cases of Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) - including a death - were reported from the sultanate during Eid al Adha in 2014.

An MoH public health statement said 'Always go to the slaughterhouse for animal slaughter. Using gown gloves and boots while slaughtering or handling blood and body fluids protects you from acquiring haemorrhagic fever infection.'

MoAF has asked people to ensure that the animals they buy for slaughter are free of all external parasites like ticks. The ministry has also advised that slaughtering animals in municipal slaughterhouses will avoid exposure to disease vectors like ticks and help safeguard public health.

MoAF added that it is taking all preventive measures to curb the spread of CCHF. It has tightened quarantine measures and procedures for live animals to make sure they are free of ticks and other external parasites. 'Necessary samples are taken and sent to the Animal Health Research Centre Laboratory for tests and animals are released from quarantine only after making sure they are free of ticks or any other diseases' the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also takes random samples from farms and barns for testing. 'A large scale pesticide spraying schedule has been drawn wherein animals in barns are sprayed and spraying machines and equipment are provided to farms owners' MoAF added.

MRMWR said that it is working in coordination with concerned authorities on the procedures to be followed to reduce the risk of infection and diseases transmitted from animals to humans. 'CCHF is a serious viral disease in humans causing fever and in severe infections results in death' MRMWR said in a statement.

It said that animals with ticks can carry the virus in their bloodstream for more than a week without any apparent symptoms. 'Thus precaution should be taken to avoid contracting the infection by wearing protective clothing and avoiding direct contact with blood or animal tissue.'

To limit the spread of infection from ticks on livestock to humans MRMWR too has emphasised the need to slaughter at municipal facilities. 'All animals go through a veterinary check before slaughter to make sure they are disease-free and in this case vectors of the disease' said an MRMWR official.

According to MoAF CCHF is endemic in the sultanate and in neighbouring countries for more than two decades. In 2014 14 cases were reported ten came to light in 2013 and three tested positive in 2012. Apart from these three cases were recorded in 1995 and one in 1996.

MoAF said that the disease spreads only through an intermediary vector (ticks) or direct contact with the blood and tissues of the infected animal especially for patients with broken skin or injuries. The ministry added that eating well-cooked meat does not lead to transmission of the disease.

CCHF is a viral human disease with fatality rates up to 30 per cent. It is a tick-borne disease described in more than 30 countries in Europe Asia and Africa. The causative agent is the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) that is a member of the genus Nairovirus of the family Bunyaviridae. There is currently no vaccine for large scale human or animal use.