Around 200 people from the city's Afghan and Muslim communities are expected to turn out to pay their respects to Fazal Ahmad, 38, a former asylum seeker who succumbed to Crimean-Congo Viral Haemorrhagic Fever on Saturday in London.

Mr Ahmad, who was married with a young son, fell ill after returning from a visit to Kabul via a connecting flight from Dubai last week.

He had been in Afghanistan to attend his brother's wedding but within hours of being picked up by a friend at Glasgow Airport last Tuesday he was admitted to hospital suffering symptoms of the tick-borne disease.

He was initially treated in isolation at Gartnavel Hospital's Brownlee Centre, before being flown to a high-security infectious disease unit at London's Royal Free Hospital.

His funeral will be held today at the Glasgow Central Mosque.

Mohammed Asif, of the Scottish Afghan Society, where Mr Ahmad was a member, said: "Everyone from Glasgow's Afghan community will be coming, as well as a lot of other people."

Mr Ahmad's wife and son were returning from London with his body last night. Mr Ahmad arrived in Glasgow in 2006 as an asylum seeker and was granted permission to stay. He owned a mechanics' garage in the East End.

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

Although rare in western Europe, 'Congo fever' is endemic in parts of eastern and southern Europe, central Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent, and fatal in 30% of cases.