KARACHI: Medical services department of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has advised citizens to cover face and hands during their visits to cattle markets, and wear light coloured clothes with full sleeves so that any tick can be seen easily, and also check clothing and skin carefully for ticks.

The advice was issued on Friday for prevention of Congo virus keeping in view the forthcoming Eidul Azha ahead of which sacrificial animals are brought to the city for sale in large numbers.

According to the health advice, citizens should wear gloves while inspecting and slaughtering the animals. People should try to avoid contact with animals as much possible and use insect repellents to save themselves and their animals from ticks (chichar).

It asked the citizens to avoid eating and drinking during visits to cattle markets or carry boiled/filtered water from home, adding, `Don`t squeeze any tick with bare hands as its infected blood can cause Congo virus. Butchers should use gloves during slaughtering animals as sacrificial animals are sometimes imported from endemic areas. Wash your hands after coming in contact with animals andblood. Proper and ventilated sites should be allocated for keeping animals.

The advice said water for the use of animals should be stored properly and kept covered after use. Blood and remnants of animals should be disposed of properly and there should be proper sanitation at the site of animal keeping and fumigation at the places where those animals were kept.

Tree plantation Meanwhile, Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Syed Saif-ur-Rehman said on Friday that the city needed a lot of tree plantation so that environmental pollution could be eliminated and citizens provided better environment as Karachi was facing shortage oftrees andgreenery.

He was presiding over a meeting in his office which was attended by senior director coordination Masood Alam, Deputy Commissioner West Shazia Jaffar, and others.

The metropolitan commissioner said that in order to deal with the challenge, a state of emergency was declare d in parks and horticulture department of the KMC and leaves of staff were cancelled.

Tree plantation and beautification of central islands and surrounding areas of major roads and corridors should continue even during holidays, he ordered.