Good news in Congo fever scare
The four patients and five health personnel who were quarantined after an unnamed 26-year-old man died of Congo fever last week are still symptom free.
In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Health said they would remain in isolation for another few days and would be closely monitored until “there are absolutely no doubts as to their status”.
The results of blood tests on the four contact cases are expected to be out later this week.
Meanwhile, local and international experts in epidemiology have been dispatched to the Omaheke Region to continue observations and conduct investigations there, health minister Bernard Haufiku said in the statement.
He urged people working with livestock to ensure that they adhere to the spraying guidelines of the Ministry of Agriculture in order to avoid tick-borne infection.
Two doctors and four nurses from the Katutura State Hospital and two drivers were sent to Gobabis on Friday to hold the fort while the doctor and nurses there remain under quarantine.
Haufiku said all stakeholders including the Ministry of Agriculture had been briefed and were working closely with the healthcare teams on the ground.
Teams on the ground are actively investigating further cases and are closely monitoring people on the farm where the deceased became ill.
Community health workers, nurses and other personnel were briefed yesterday on early detection and interventions.
In addition, a high-level meeting took place yesterday, attended by the regional governor, police, veterinary services and doctors to ensure a coordinated response and long-term strategy.
Congo fever was first reported in the country in 1986. The infections mainly occurred in the eastern half of the country and since then it has reportedly occurred on average every five years.
Three of the cases occurred in 1986, one in 1998 and two in 2001. The infections were reported in Grootfontein, Windhoek, Gobabis and one in Karasburg.
In 2010, after an eight-year break, three human cases of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever occurred in the //Karas Region. According to media reports at the time, these infections were due to handling animal carcasses and not related to tick bites.
Haufiku yesterday said that the regular cycle of infections and other factors would make it feasible to create a disease risk map to “better understand the transmission dynamics, reservoirs of infection during the non-transmission periods and potential for climate-induced outbreaks”.
JANA-MARI SMITH
In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Health said they would remain in isolation for another few days and would be closely monitored until “there are absolutely no doubts as to their status”.
The results of blood tests on the four contact cases are expected to be out later this week.
Meanwhile, local and international experts in epidemiology have been dispatched to the Omaheke Region to continue observations and conduct investigations there, health minister Bernard Haufiku said in the statement.
He urged people working with livestock to ensure that they adhere to the spraying guidelines of the Ministry of Agriculture in order to avoid tick-borne infection.
Two doctors and four nurses from the Katutura State Hospital and two drivers were sent to Gobabis on Friday to hold the fort while the doctor and nurses there remain under quarantine.
Haufiku said all stakeholders including the Ministry of Agriculture had been briefed and were working closely with the healthcare teams on the ground.
Teams on the ground are actively investigating further cases and are closely monitoring people on the farm where the deceased became ill.
Community health workers, nurses and other personnel were briefed yesterday on early detection and interventions.
In addition, a high-level meeting took place yesterday, attended by the regional governor, police, veterinary services and doctors to ensure a coordinated response and long-term strategy.
Congo fever was first reported in the country in 1986. The infections mainly occurred in the eastern half of the country and since then it has reportedly occurred on average every five years.
Three of the cases occurred in 1986, one in 1998 and two in 2001. The infections were reported in Grootfontein, Windhoek, Gobabis and one in Karasburg.
In 2010, after an eight-year break, three human cases of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever occurred in the //Karas Region. According to media reports at the time, these infections were due to handling animal carcasses and not related to tick bites.
Haufiku yesterday said that the regular cycle of infections and other factors would make it feasible to create a disease risk map to “better understand the transmission dynamics, reservoirs of infection during the non-transmission periods and potential for climate-induced outbreaks”.
JANA-MARI SMITH
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