Crimea-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever in South Africa

[Gert van der Hoek]

Farmer contracts Crimea-Congo fever

July 15, 2008, 18:45

A farmer and professional hunter from Adelaide in the Eastern Cape is in a critical condition after being diagnosed with Crimea-Congo haemorrhagic fever, the provincial Health Department said.

Spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said the man, 39, from the Adelaide area, was admitted to Adelaide Hospital on July 12, and transferred to St George's private hospital in Port Elizabeth the next day. The department planned to move him to the state-run Livingstone hospital in the city, where there is a specialised isolation unit. "His situation is extremely serious: he's in a critical condition," Kupelo said.

The diagnosis, received from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) this week, was preliminary. Confirmation would be available tomorrow.

The viral disease, transmitted to humans by ticks or contact with blood or tissue from infected animals, is potentially fatal. Kupelo said the man was reportedly bitten by a tick on July 3, and went to see a doctor for the first time four days later. Three days after that he had developed a range of typical fever symptoms including nausea, vomiting, and joint pains.

The department was sending an outbreak response team to the Adelaide area to trace the man's contacts and check what medical assistance might be necessary.

The fever is the commonest of a range of haemorrhagic fevers that occur in South Africa. According to the NICD, anything between five and 25 cases are reported each year, most of them in the Karoo, the Western Free State, the Northern Cape and North West Province. Most of the sufferers are farmers, farm labourers, hunters or abattoir workers.

Symptoms include fever, aching muscles, dizziness, neck pain and stiffness, headache, sore eyes, nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, nose bleeding, and other non-normal bleeding.

According to the World Health Organisation, one in three sufferers dies from the disease. There is no safe and effective vaccine widely available for human use. - Sapa

http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/health/0,2172,173291,00.html

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Crimea-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever in South Africa

Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers

There have been no new laboratory-confirmed cases of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in the last month in South Africa.

To date in 2008, there have been 6 laboratory-confirmed cases of CCHF including cases from the Northern Cape (n=2), Free State (n=2), Eastern Cape (n=1) and Mpumalanga (n=1) provinces.

This corrects an error in reporting in a previous Communiqu? (August Vol.7(8) which reported 3 cases from the Northern Cape Province and only one from the Free State Province.

Two suspected cases of CCHF were investigated in the past month and repeated laboratory tests for CCHF were negative on both.

Although a history of specific exposure to ticks could not be confirmed both patients were tested for CCHF on the basis that they lived on farms in areas where the disease has been well documented (in the Northern Cape Province, in Upington and Hartswater respectively).

In addition, they had a compatible clinical presentation with an acute febrile illness and bleeding as well as thrombocytopenia, raised hepatic transaminases and a profound leucopenia in one patient (WCC = 1.8x109/L).

Both patients were isolated and managed as CCHF (pending the outcome of viral culture) and received a third generation cephalosporin and doxycycline to cover for bacterial infections (including tick bite fever).

Both patients recovered fully. The differential diagnosis in these patients included CCHF, tick bite fever, Q fever, bacterial septicaemia, leptospirosis and typhoid fever.

No alternative diagnoses have been confirmed and Q fever is being pursued as a possible diagnosis in one of the cases.

Source: Special Pathogens Unit and Epidemiology Division, NICD

http://www.nicd.ac.za/

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Crimea-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever in South Africa

Congo Fever patient stabilised

October 07, 2008, 18:45

A Northern Cape abattoir worker has been admitted to the Kimberley Hospital after contracting Congo Fever. The Congo Fever patient has been stabilised. He has been quarantined to avoid further infections.

Since January 2008, seven people have already been treated for Congo Fever - which has already claimed 14 lives throughout the province since 1995. The Department of Health says the disease is highly contagious and could be transmitted to humans through animals.

Farmers have been warned to take precautionary measures.

Meanwhile, there have been some reports that the mystery disease that has killed four people in Gauteng could be Congo fever, but it has still to be identified.

Gauteng health authorities are monitoring 111 people who came in contact with a nurse who was among those who died of the mystery disease.

http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/health/0,2172,177927,00.html

 

[Treyfish]

Re: Crimea-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever in South Africa

Man admitted for Congo Fever <TABLE style="WIDTH: 405px; HEIGHT: 44px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=caption style="WIDTH: 360px">
October 07 2008 at 08:00PM </TD></TR><TR><TD style="HEIGHT: 1px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #cccccc" colSpan=2></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=right><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width=300 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=relatedheading align=right></TD></TR><TR><TD class=relatedlink align=right></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=mainarticle cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=svarticletext>A Northern Cape abattoir worker has been admitted to the Kimberley Hospital after contracting Congo Fever, the SABC reported on Tuesday.

The man has been quarantined to avoid further infections.

Since January this year, seven people have been treated for Congo Fever.

It has claimed the lives of 14 people throughout the Northern Cape Province since 1995.

The Department of Health said that the disease is highly contagious and could be transmitted to humans through animals.

Farmers have also been warned to take precautionary measures. - Sapa :tiphat:http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_i...5754328C835969</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[Commonground]

Re: Crimea-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever in South Africa

map. railways connect Kimberely to Johannesburg.

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/featu...rthern+Cape,+South+Africa;Large;Comprehensive

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Crimea-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever in South Africa

E Cape health dept confirm case of Congo Fever


Eastern Cape Health Department confirmed a case of Congo Fever in the province

October 24, 2008, 13:15

The Eastern Cape Health Department says there is a confirmed case of Congo Fever in the province. Spokesperson, Sizwe Kupelo, says a farmer from Aberdeen has been admitted to Mossel Bay hospital.

He is in isolation and is reported to be responding well to treatment. The Health Department in that province is conducting investigations in the Aberdeen area to trace and warn people who have been in contact with the farmer.

Kupelo says there is no need for panic as the Department has everything under control. He advises people who have been in direct contact with the patient to be mindful of any symptoms and to report any onset of illness to health officials in the Aberdeen district.

http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/health/0,2172,178730,00.html

 

[Treyfish]

Re: Crimea-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever in South Africa

EC farmer gets Congo fever

24 October 2008, 15:21 CAT
An Aberdeen farmer has been admitted to the Mossel Bay Hospital with a confirmed case of Congo fever, a provincial Health Department spokesperson said on Friday.
Sizwe Kupelo said the unidentified farmer was immediately put into isolation ?and responding well to treatment.?
?The Health Department? is conducting investigations in the Aberdeen area to trace and warn people who have been in contact with the farmer,? Kupelo said.
Kupelo said there was ?no need for panic? and that the department ?had the situation under control.?
He however advised people who had been in contact with the patient and showing any symptoms of illness to report it to health officials in the Aberdeen district.
According to the CDC in Atlanta in the United States, CHF is caused by infection from a tick bite and symptoms include headaches, high fever, backache, joint pain, vomiting and stomach pain.
Red eyes, a flushed face and red spots on the palate are common and as the disease progresses, large areas of severe bruising and severe nosebleeds also occurs.
Congo fever kills between 9 percent to 50 percent of those infected and recovery is slow, the CDC said.:tiphat:http://blogs.dispatch.co.za/dispatchnow/2008/10/24/ec-farmer-gets-congo-fever/

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Crimea-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever in South Africa

Vet critical with Congo fever

30/10/2008 (SA)


Nicolize van der Walt , Beeld

Johannesburg - A Klerksdorp veterinary surgeon is in a critical condition in hospital after being diagnosed with Congo fever on Tuesday afternooon.

Gert Coetzee, 37, was on Monday moved to the high care isolation unit of the Klerksdorp-Tshepong Hospital after his condition worsened after the weekend.

His symptoms apparently were similar to those of tickbite fever and meningitis.

A local GP apparently treated Coetzee from the start of his illness for Congo fever because the vet had been working on a farm in the area where he was presumably bitten by an infected tick.

Carla Coetzee, 33, said on Wednesday night that her husband had started vomiting on Friday and had a very bad headache.

"He complained of being hot and said it felt like his clothes were hurting him. Gert is in a critical condition as his body has no immunity at the moment. He is in isolation and I may only visit him if I wear that astronaut suit.

"I believe in miracles and I believe my husband will recover. I was strong when I got the news. I think what saved me was that I didn't realise how deadly Congo fever is," she said.

She and their sons Cobus, 9, and Jan-Hendrik, 7, are being monitored through blood tests and fever readings.

Kathy Viebe-Randeree, chief official at the hosptial, said Coetzee had a confirmed case of Congo fever.

"There is no reason for the public to become panicky. Dr Coetzee is stable and he is doing well. There is a clear protocol that has been set for such cases and the hospital is following it 100%."

His wife said her husband was bravely fighting back and was able to speak, "even though he looks very, very tired. Gert is still okay. That is enough for me for now".

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2418296,00.html