ISLAMABAD, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Three more people have died from Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in Pakistan, raising the death toll to five this year so far, provincial health departments confirmed on Thursday.

Two of the latest fatalities occurred in Peshawar in the northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where the patients had been admitted to a hospital after showing symptoms of the virus, according to a statement by the provincial health department.

The third victim, a 26-year-old fisherman, died in Karachi, the capital city of southern Sindh province, the provincial health department said.

In April, Quetta in southwest Balochistan province reported the first CCHF-related death of the year, when an 18-year-old patient succumbed to the disease.

The second death occurred earlier this week on Tuesday in Karachi, where a 42-year-old man died after contracting the virus.

The CCHF, characterized by fever, muscle aches, headache, and bleeding, has a high fatality rate ranging from 10 percent to 40 percent.

The virus is transmitted to humans mainly through tick bites or contact with blood and tissues of infected animals, especially livestock. According to health officials, the recent surge in CCHF cases coincides with the Eid al-Adha festival, during which millions of animals are purchased, transported, and slaughtered, increasing human exposure to infected ticks and animal blood.

The country's National Institute of Health has issued advisories for the prevention and control of the disease, and provincial authorities have urged heightened vigilance to limit further spread of the tick-borne virus. ■