Congo fever under control
While colleagues of the farmworker who died last week from Congo fever are under quarantine, the disease seems to be under control and no new cases have been reported.
The health ministry is appealing to farmworkers and people working closely with animals to urgently report tick bites at their nearest health centre.
This follows the death of a 26-year-old male farmworker at the Gobabis State Hospital who was diagnosed with Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (Congo fever) last week.
Farmworkers at the farm where the virus originated have since been brought to the Windhoek Central Hospital and are being quarantined and held under close surveillance.
During a press briefing on Friday, the permanent secretary of the health ministry Andreas Mwoombola said the farmworker tested negative for malaria and was then treated with diarrhoea before he was sent home.
The patient was however re-admitted a few days later as he started vomiting blood and was haemorrhaging.
“It was only at this time that relatives mentioned that he was bitten by a tick and the clinic then suspected tick-borne haemorrhagic fever. It is important to note that it is not easy to pick up Congo fever on the first consultation,” he said.
The deceased's body was treated has since been buried by an environmental health practitioner.
Mwoombola also pointed out that medical personnel can only treat the symptoms of the disease as there is no specific treatment or vaccination for Congo fever.
Meanwhile, the situation is being closely monitored, while the deceased's relatives as well as four nurses and the doctor that were in close contact with him without protective equipment have been quarantined and are being monitored.
“A community investigation team was set up. Active case searches were done at one of the three farms whereby a close contact suffering from jaundice, headache and cough was identified and brought in to the hospital for isolation and investigation,” said Mwoombola.
Mwoombola has further said the situation is under control and therefore urged the public not to panic, but to report all tick bites to their closest medical facilities.
According to Mwoombola, a nurse treated a patient with Congo fever a few years ago and this latest incident is the fourth case reported in Namibia in 26 years. The owner of Harnas Wildlife Foundation east of Gobabis, Nick van der Merwe, died of Congo fever in 2001, also after working his cattle and being bitten by a tick.
Congo fever
Congo fever which is formally known as the Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) has a 40% fatality rate with death occuring in the second week of illness and is primarily transmitted to people from ticks and livestock.
Human-to-human transmission can occur resulting from close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected persons. There is no vaccine available for both people and animals. CCHF is endemic in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and Asia.
According to information from the health ministry, the majority of cases have occurred in people involved in the livestock industry such as agriculture workers, slaughterhouse workers and veterinarians.
According to Mwoombola, the incubation period of the virus is five to six days when symptoms show that a person has been infected.
Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, dizziness, neck pain and stiffness, backache, headache and sore eyes. They may have nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and a sore throat early on. After two to four days the agitation may be replaced with sleepiness, depression and exhaustion.
JEMIMA BEUKES
This follows the death of a 26-year-old male farmworker at the Gobabis State Hospital who was diagnosed with Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (Congo fever) last week.
Farmworkers at the farm where the virus originated have since been brought to the Windhoek Central Hospital and are being quarantined and held under close surveillance.
During a press briefing on Friday, the permanent secretary of the health ministry Andreas Mwoombola said the farmworker tested negative for malaria and was then treated with diarrhoea before he was sent home.
The patient was however re-admitted a few days later as he started vomiting blood and was haemorrhaging.
“It was only at this time that relatives mentioned that he was bitten by a tick and the clinic then suspected tick-borne haemorrhagic fever. It is important to note that it is not easy to pick up Congo fever on the first consultation,” he said.
The deceased's body was treated has since been buried by an environmental health practitioner.
Mwoombola also pointed out that medical personnel can only treat the symptoms of the disease as there is no specific treatment or vaccination for Congo fever.
Meanwhile, the situation is being closely monitored, while the deceased's relatives as well as four nurses and the doctor that were in close contact with him without protective equipment have been quarantined and are being monitored.
“A community investigation team was set up. Active case searches were done at one of the three farms whereby a close contact suffering from jaundice, headache and cough was identified and brought in to the hospital for isolation and investigation,” said Mwoombola.
Mwoombola has further said the situation is under control and therefore urged the public not to panic, but to report all tick bites to their closest medical facilities.
According to Mwoombola, a nurse treated a patient with Congo fever a few years ago and this latest incident is the fourth case reported in Namibia in 26 years. The owner of Harnas Wildlife Foundation east of Gobabis, Nick van der Merwe, died of Congo fever in 2001, also after working his cattle and being bitten by a tick.
Congo fever
Congo fever which is formally known as the Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) has a 40% fatality rate with death occuring in the second week of illness and is primarily transmitted to people from ticks and livestock.
Human-to-human transmission can occur resulting from close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected persons. There is no vaccine available for both people and animals. CCHF is endemic in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and Asia.
According to information from the health ministry, the majority of cases have occurred in people involved in the livestock industry such as agriculture workers, slaughterhouse workers and veterinarians.
According to Mwoombola, the incubation period of the virus is five to six days when symptoms show that a person has been infected.
Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, dizziness, neck pain and stiffness, backache, headache and sore eyes. They may have nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and a sore throat early on. After two to four days the agitation may be replaced with sleepiness, depression and exhaustion.
JEMIMA BEUKES
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