SEVERAL CASES OF FATAL ILLNESS , NOVEL ARENAVIRUS STRAIN? - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA

[Giuseppe]

UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
************************************************************************

A ProMED-mail post <http: org="">
ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases <http: org="">

Date: 5 Oct 2008
Source: News24, South Africa <http: com="" news24="" south_africa="" news="" html="">

Health scare in Gauteng
-----------------------
3 people have died following cases of an infectious disease in Johannesburg, the Health Department said on Sunday [5 Oct 2008].

"We are on high alert following the confirmation of 3 cases of an unknown highly infectious disease which has since led to 3 deaths," said the department in a statement.

According to the department the 1st patient was a female from Zambia who was critically ill when she arrived on [12 Sep 2008] in South Africa.

She was treated for tick-bite fever and other potential infections at Morningside Medi-Clinic.

"2 days later she died. Blood samples were taken and the results were not conclusive of any particular disease including the viral haemorrhagic fevers."

Flu-like symptoms
-----------------
The 2nd patient was a Zambian male paramedic who had accompanied the 1st patient. He was admitted on [27 Sep 2008] at the same facility with flu-like symptoms and treated for a variety of infections.

"His condition initially improved, but later deteriorated on Wednesday, [1 Oct 2008] and he died the following day [2 Oct 2008]."

Investigations for viral haemorrhagic fever and other formidable infectious diseases were conducted and the results came out negative. A nurse at Morningside Medi-Clinic who came into contact with the 1st patient became ill with flu-like symptoms and was subsequently admitted to Sir Albert Robinson hospital in the West-Rand on Wednesday [1 Oct 2008].

"Her condition deteriorated on Saturday [4 Oct 2008] and she passed away today (on Sunday [5 Oct 2008]). Viral haemorrhagic fever and other formidable infectious diseases were negative."

Healthcare workers monitored
----------------------------
According to the department, systems were in place to follow up on everyone with whom the deceased had had contact. Healthcare workers and family members were being monitored for raised temperatures and flu-like symptoms for a period of 21 days.

"Steve Biko Academic and Charlotte Maxeke Academic hospitals are on high alert and ready to handle any cases related to this situation."

Members of the community with travel history to Zambia during the last month and who suffer from raised temperatures or flu-like symptoms are requested to report to the nearest health facility for a medical examination or contact Dr Chika Asomugha on 082 330 1490.
--
Communicated by: ProMED-mail


[From the above description of the illness, it is difficult to develop a narrow differential diagnosis -- a disease that is a febrile disease with flu-like symptoms that is apparently highly fatal, occurring in Africa has one immediately thinking about the possibility of a viral hemorrhagic fever (even though hemorrhagic symptoms were not specifically mentioned in the newswire).

As one of the world's top reference laboratories for viral hemorrhagic fevers is located in South Africa, the information that testing for the known hemorrhagic fevers gave negative results means one can comfortably remove the known hemorrhagic fevers from the differential diagnosis list.

From the above description of the dates of onset, it appears the disease has an incubation period of between 2 and 4 weeks.

The mode of transmission is not clear (respiratory vs contact with bodily fluids).

One might suspect that it is contact with bodily fluids, [because if respiratory] one might have expected to see more cases by now (with 3 generations of cases most likely described in the above newswire).

However, on reviewing ProMED-mail archives, in November 2007 there was an outbreak of presumed pneumonic plague in Southern Zambia.

Borrowing from ProMED-mail Mod.LL's comment at that time, "Patients with primary pneumonic plague generate large quantities of infectious aerosols that pose a significant risk to close contacts. CDC (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines identify contacts within 2 meters (6.5 feet) as being at greatest risk and do not consider the organism likely to be carried through air ducts or vents."

(see ProMED-mail posting Undiagnosed deaths - Zambia (02): pneumonic plague susp. 20071130.3862).

Of note is that the incubation period for plague is 1 to 14 days, possibly shorter than noted in the above given dates of onset of the 3 cases. A review of all ProMED-mail prior postings on events in Zambia revealed the overwhelming number of reports were related to veterinary outbreaks (such as foot & mouth disease, contagious bovine pleurpneumonia and swine fever), the next most common reports were of zoonotic diseases affecting both human and animal health (anthrax, rabies, plague), and next, person to person or food and waterborne transmitted diseases (measles, cholera, diarrhea).

There was one scare of a possible hemorrhagic fever outbreak but it was ruled out as attributable to 3 different diseases -- schistosomiasis, gum disease and pneumonia. (see prior ProMED-mail posting Re: Ebola - Zambia? 19950626.0458).

ProMED-mail would greatly appreciate receiving more information on these cases from knowledgeable sources in the region. For a map of Zambia, see <http: edu="" maps="" africa="" jpg="">.

For a map of South Africa, see <http: edu="" maps="" africa="" jpg="">.

For the interactive HealthMap/ProMED map of Zambia with links to recent ProMED-mail postings on events in Zambia and surrounding areas, see <http: org="" v="-14,27.8,5">.

Of note, recent ProMED-mail reports on events in Zambia have been about outbreaks of anthrax, cholera and diarrhea.]

[see also:

Anthrax, wildlife - Zambia (Eastern) 20081002.3115

2007
----
Undiagnosed deaths - Zambia (03): apology 20071130.3866
Undiagnosed deaths - Zambia (02): pneumonic plague susp. 20071130.3862
Undiagnosed deaths - Zambia: RFI 20071129.3853
Anthrax, human, bovine - Zambia (WP) 20071115.3714

2001
----
Plague, bubonic - Zambia (04) 20010418.0769
Plague, bubonic - Zambia (03) 20010328.0631
Plague, bubonic - Zambia (02) 20010327.0621
Plague, bubonic - Zambia 20010315.0525

1998
----
Mortality, human, undiagnosed - Zambia: RFI 19980406.0636

1997
----
Plague, bubonic - Zambia (04) 19970211.0325
Plague, bubonic - Zambia (03) 19970205.0271
Plague, bubonic? - Zambia (02) 19970203.0247
Plague, bubonic - Zambia 19970131.0201]

1995
----
Re: Ebola - Zambia? 19950626.0458
Ebola - Zambia? 19950623.0448
..............................mpp/jw
--
</http:></http:></http:></promed@promedmail.org></http:></http:></http:>​

<cite cite="http://apex.oracle.com/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:1177507606404303::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,74242">http://apex.oracle.com/pls/otn/f?p=..._BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,74242</cite>

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Viral fever claims fourth victim


The latest victim was a women who worked for the Morningside clinic

October 06, 2008,

A fourth person with Viral Haemorragic Fever (VHF) symptoms has died. The virus has already claimed the lives of a Zambian national and two other people at the Morningside Clinic in Johannesburg. The woman was a cleaner at the clinic.

The National Health Department has issued an alert in Gauteng following these deaths. Unconfirmed tests indicate they may have died of the fatal Viral Haemorragic Fever.

An Outbreak Response and Tracking Team has been set up to contain any further spread. The department's Zanele Mngadi says investigations are still underway into the cause of the deaths.

Mngadi confirmed the death of the fourth person, who was admitted at the Leratong hospital last night. The patient, who showed symptoms of VHF, was transferred to the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, where she passed died.

The health department says there is no need for South Africans to panic. The department's Frew Denson says the fever is highly contagious but is only transmitted through body fluids.

It is reported that the virus can kill a person within 72 hours. VHF is an extremely infectious and life-threatening disease caused by a group of viruses, including the Ebola virus. The death rate can be as high as 90%. Symptoms vary but include fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and bleeding.

http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/health/0,2172,177844,00.html

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Another dies of mystery disease

Gill Gifford and Solly Maphumulo

October 06 2008 at 10:07AM

A fourth person died of a highly infectious disease on Sunday night - and Gauteng health officials have admitted they have no idea what they're dealing with.

A woman brought to the Morningside Medi-Clinic in Sandton from Zambia, the paramedic who accompanied her, a nurse at the clinic and now one of the cleaning staff have all died of a mystery disease, sparking a crisis situation that has health authorities working hard to track everyone who has been in contact with them so that they can be monitored.

Dr Chika Asomugha of the Gauteng Health Department said everyone who may have been in contact with the patients has been alerted and, should they have a high fever or show flu-like symptoms, they would be quarantined immediately.

While a definite diagnosis of the disease has not yet been made, it appears to be similar to viral haemorrhagic fever. The patients' symptoms included fever, vomiting and diarrhoea.

'We are dealing with something we don't understand'
While the symptoms were in line with "viral haemorrhagic fever and other formidable infectious diseases", all tests conducted have returned negative for such diseases.

"We are not so very comfortable saying we are dealing with viral haemorrhagic fever. We are dealing with something we don't understand," Asomugha said, explaining that viral haemorrhagic fever is the term for a group of diseases including Ebola, yellow fever and Congo fever.

There was no treatment for these diseases, he said.

Symptoms included fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and bleeding.

The first victim was a 36-year-old South African woman who was airlifted from Zambia to the Morningside Medi-Clinic, where she died on September 12.

"Where she comes from we have no clue, but we are in the process of trying to contact her family to find out more," Asomugha said.

What is known is that the woman had been living in Zambia "for some time" and was working as a tourism manager.

She apparently often went horse-riding "into the bushes on adventures".

She fell ill and was admitted to a Zambian hospital, where doctors were unable to diagnose her ailment. She was transferred to two other hospitals, but her condition continued to deteriorate.

A decision was made to airlift her to South Africa and so, along with a paramedic, she was flown to Morningside Medi-Clinic.

"She was dead by the time she arrived, so we were not able to get any information from her directly," Asomugha said.

The 33-year-old paramedic returned to Morningside Medi-Clinic on September 27 with the same symptoms as the woman who had died. He died on October 2.

The third person to take ill was a nurse from the clinic who had come into contact with the first patient.

She took ill with flu-like symptoms and was admitted to the Sir Albert Robinson Hospital on the West Rand on October 1. She died there on Sunday.

On Monday morning a fourth person, a cleaner who had worked at the Morningside Medi-Clinic, died in the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.

Gauteng Health spokesperson Zanele Mngadi said the woman was initially admitted to Leratong Hospital. She was transferred to Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital because it is a specialised facility.

"We are still waiting for the clinical report to be completed," Mngadi said.

She said the department was trying to track down the woman's family so that they could be quarantined.

"They have to be monitored for 21 days," Mngadi said.

According to Asomugha, a room has been set up for patients to be quarantined and monitored at the Morningside Medi-Clinic.

"We need to keep these people separate from the public," he said, explaining that work was now being done to trace every possible contact each of the patients had after contracting the disease.

Morningside Medi-Clinic spokesperson Melinda Pelser said hospital staff who had been in contact with the deceased patients were being monitored.

"All the staff who had anything to do with the patients have been followed up. We contacted them by telephone. They are aware that they should notify us if there is any change in their temperature or if they have any flu-like symptoms," Pelser said this morning.

People who have visited Zambia during the last month and who are showing signs of fever or flu-like symptoms should report to their nearest health facility for a medical examination, say officials.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_News&set_id=1&click_id=79&art_id=vn20081006100707259C129521

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Mystery disease not airborne

Mon, 06 Oct 2008

The flu-like illness which has killed four people in Johannesburg is not airborne but is contracted through bodily fluids, said a spokesperson at the Morningside Medi-Clinic on Monday.


"The disease is transferable through bodily fluids and is not airborne. We want to ensure that there's no panic in the broader public...There is no outbreak at the hospital. We are currently don't have patients with the same symptoms," said regional marketing manger Malinda Pelser.

Tests were not conclusive of any particular disease including viral hemorrhagic fevers.

Pelser said hospital staff that had been in contact with the four people who died of this illness were being continuously monitored.

"We are monitoring those who treated the four patients who passed away but it's in the hands of the department to trace and monitor families and other people," she said.

The latest victims at the hospital were a cleaner and a nurse ? both died on Sunday. However, Pelser said, the cleaner was not employed by the hospital, but by an outsourcing company.

Another, a Zambian woman who arrived at Morningside Medi-Clinic with flu-like symptoms on 12 September, was treated for tick bite fever and other potential infections. She died two days later.

A Zambian paramedic who accompanied her into the country died last week.

Pelser said the cleaner had been off work when she fell sick and the hospital called her home to enquire about her health.

"She fell ill off duty. She had been having problems with her health for months."

Although the woman had the same symptoms as three others who died, this could not be confirmed because of her health history.

The hospital would follow strict protocol and infection control measures, including isolation, if any other patient presented the same flu-like symptoms.

The health department said it would conduct tests and post mortems to establish the cause of these deaths.

Those who visited Zambia in the last month and were experiencing flu-like symptoms or raised temperatures were urged to immediately go to their nearest hospital for examination.

http://news.iafrica.com/sa/1034279.htm

 

[HenryN]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Print Email Add to My Stories
<!--*start_indexing*-->Fatal bleeding disease has S Africa on alert

Posted 1 hour 18 minutes ago
South African health authorities are on high alert after three people died in hospital from an unknown, infectious disease similar to hemorrhagic fever, health officials said.
A fourth person, a cleaner, had also died but it was not clear whether that case was related to the others who all died at the Morningside Clinic in Johannesburg, the hospital's spokeswoman Melinda Pelser said.
There are several strains of hemorrhagic fever, including ebola and marburg, which have killed hundreds of people in outbreaks in Africa.
The diseases cause bleeding from multiple sites and can have very high death rates.
The South African Health Department issued an alert over the weekend after the deaths but Morningside spokeswoman Pelser said tests for existing strains of hemorrhagic fever were negative.
Ms Pelser said hospital officials were investigating an unknown flu-like disease which caused external and internal bleeding. It spreads through bodily fluids but there are no signs it is airborne.
The first death was a Zambian woman brought to Morningside for treatment. A paramedic who accompanied her later died, health authorities said.
Ebola is rare, but there is no known cure and the virus usually kills between 50-90 per cent of its victims.
It is spread through contact with bodily fluids of a patient. As with other hemorrhagic fevers, patients die from dehydration, bleeding, and shock.
The latest outbreak, which ended in February in Uganda, was unusually mild, killing 37 people out of 149 infected.
A previous outbreak in Uganda in 2000 killed more than half of 425 people infected and a 2006 outbreak in neighbouring Congo infected 264 people, killing 187.
Marburg has similar characteristics. At least 150 people died in an epidemic in Angola in 2004 and 2005.
- Reuters

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/06/2383556.htm

 

[Shiloh]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Source: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2008-10-06-who-zambia-investigate-mystery-illness

WHO, Zambia investigate mystery illness
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA Oct 06 2008 16:10

Zambian authorities and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have mounted investigations into the unknown disease that has so far claimed four lives in South Africa.

Zambia's High Commissioner in Pretoria, Leslie Mbula, said on Monday that reports from Zambia indicated that no other person in the country had contracted the "mysterious disease".

"Zambia has mounted an investigation and is working closely with the WHO. Apart from the two people who died at Morningside Medi-Clinic, there have been no reports of anyone presenting with the illness in Zambia," Mbula said.

Mbula said he had spoken to the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health, Simon Miti, who confirmed the situation.

Zambia's Health Minister, Brian Chituwo, was due to release a statement later on Monday.

Four people have died in South Africa of a highly infectious disease that has yet to be identified, the Health Department has said.

The first casualty was a woman from Zambia who was critically ill when she arrived in South Africa on September 12. She was treated for tick-bite fever and other potential infections at Morningside Medi-Clinic, but died two days later.

Blood tests were not conclusive for any disease.

The second victim was a Zambian male paramedic who had accompanied the woman. He was admitted on September 27 with flu-like symptoms and treated for a range of infections.

 

[Treyfish]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

South Africa: Visitors to Zambia Warned of Infectious Disease


6 October 2008
Posted to the web 6 October 2008
Luyanda Makapela
Johannesburg
The Gauteng Department of Health has issued a warning to people who have recently travelled to Zambia and have come down with flu-like symptoms.
These patients have been requested to report to the nearest health facility for a medical examination or contact Dr Chika Asomugha on 082 330 1490.

The department is on high alert following the confirmation of four cases of an unknown highly infectious disease.
Speaking to BuaNews on Monday, departmental health spokesperson Zanele Mngadi said the department was busy investigating the "unknown highly infectious" disease which caused flu-like symptoms.
The department confirmed that three people had died and a fourth, a cleaner at the Morningside Medi-Clinic, died on Sunday night.
The first victim was a 36-year-old woman from Zambia who was brought to South Africa for treatment on 12 September after being critically ill for weeks. She was taken to the Morningside Medi-Clinic where she was treated for tick-bite fever and other potential infections, but died two days later.
"Blood samples were taken and the results were not conclusive of any particular disease including the Viral Hemorrhagic fevers," the department said.
A 33-year-old paramedic, who had accompanied the patient, was then admitted to the Morningside Medi-Clinic with the same flu-like symptoms. He later died in hospital.
The department said the third patient, who was a nurse at the clinic, was in contact with the first patient and became ill with the same symptoms and subsequently was admitted at the Sir Albert Robinson Hospital where she passed away on Sunday.
Morningside Medi-Clinic spokesperson Melinda Pelser confirmed that a fourth victim, a cleaner, died on Sunday night and said hospital staff who had been in contact with the deceased patients were being monitored.
"All the staff who had anything to do with the patients have been followed up. They are aware that they should notify us if there is any change in their temperature or if they have any flu-like symptoms," Ms Pelser told BuaNews.
She said the hospital was taking all the necessary precautions to fight the unknown disease and there was no need of panic from the public.

The department also said systems were in place to follow up with all those who had had contact with the victims. Health care workers and family members will be monitored for raised temperature and flu-like symptoms for a period of 21 days.:tiphat:http://allafrica.com/stories/200810061058.html

 

[Commonground]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

MONDAY, 6 OCTOBER 2008
Four die of mystery Zambian fever in 3 SA hospitals
Two patients died at Morningside Medi-Clinic, one died at Leratong Hospital and another one at Sir Albert Robinson Hospital...

by Jan de Klerk.
Note: I am publishing this totally irrelevant picture of two extraordinary people with this story to just lighten the mood a bit... because this story is very grim indeed...

Oct 6 2008 - Johannesburg - A cleaner at the Morningside Medi-Clinic may have become the fourth victim of the mysterious haemorrhagic fever of which a Zambian patient had died within just a day of her arrival with a Zambian paramedic last week.

The latest victim may be a woman cleaner at the private, 230-bed private Morningside Medi-Clinic hospmngrmorni@mediclinic.co.za which is located on the edge of upmarket Sandton north of Johannesburg.

This string of private hospitals all across SA often treat wealthy patients from other African countries - and after the Zambian woman died there, a nurse who had been in contact with her, also died shortly thereafter, as did the Zambian paramedic who had accompanied the first patient.

This specific Morningside Medi-clinic has two specialists in the field of haemological pathology, namely Dr Johnny Mahlangu and Dr Gnanasagren Pillay - who may or may not have had to carry out the testing procedures on these patients of course. Just thought you'd like to know.
http://www.morningsidemc.co.za/defa...www.mediclinic.co.za/docsearch/docsearch.aspx

However it's not certain that the cleaner had died of the same viral infection as yet, even though she showed the identical symptoms to the three others who had died before her: 'the cleaner had been a very sickly person for a long time and had been in and out of hospitals,' a health department spokesman, Fidel Hadebe, said. This description is often used by South Africans to describe HIV-AIDS.

What makes this story so deeply sad is that the black woman cleaner fell ill while working at this upperclass private hospital - but had to be taken for treatment to the public Leratong Hospital on the West Rand -- where she died. And the nurse who had worked with these two Zambian patients was taken to the Sir Albert Robinson Hospital, both on the West Rand. Neither hospital has any specialist-facilities to isolate patients with such suspected infections -- meaning that medical staff and patients at three different hospitals in the greater Johannesburg region have now also been exposed to this deadly infection, whatever it may be. Government spindoctors are already shouting 'don't panic, don't panic', but they don't even know what the disease is as yet.


Who is panicking anyway -- except these stupid government officials running around shouting, 'don't panic...?

Melinda Pelser, district marketing manager of Medi-Clinic, said on Sunday she could not release the names of the patients as the disease was a notifiable one.


'Contageous: transmitted via drops of fluid, when a person coughs or sneezes...'

"All we know is that it is highly contagious. It is believed to be transmitted via drops of fluid, when one person coughs or sneezes or when someone encounters the bodily fluids of the infected person," she said. "It is serious enough to be careful. We feel compelled to warn people." -
SA health department bungling?

However she was contradicted by the health department which today issued a statement claiming that the mystery illness 'cannot be transmitted through the air and that there's no need to panic.'
How can they even say that until they know exactly what disease has been brought into South Africa from Zambia this month? Tests were not conclusive of any particular disease including viral hemorrhagic fevers said the health department spokesman.
Well of course they wouldn't find anything until virologists have actually located the virus itself: these initial blood tests are designed to only seek out antibodies to such infections, but if the patients are already bleeding internally and from all their bodily orifices for instance, their blood does not get the chance to manufacture antibodies at all.

It's a rule of thumb among policemen and ambulance personnel in South Africa that whenever patients have such symptoms, they must be handled under strict barrier-nursing conditions, in total isolation, whether the tests were 'conclusive' or not.
Even ambulance personnel and cops know this in South Africa, because there's always the chance of coming across such a patient among the teeming hungry multitudes from the rest of Africa ... laughingly referred to as 'tourists'... and one must know the symptoms, otherwise you die!
The health department spokesman also added that 'the cleaner's health hasn't been that well, but various tests and post-mortems will be conducted to determine the cause of death.'

Employers are not allowed to test workers for infectious diseases:
This begs two questions: If the cleaner already had such frail health and may have been suffering from an infectious ailment, why on earth was she allowed to work in any hospital? And if the nurse was healthy, how could both women then have succumbed to this so quickly?
The answer is typically South African: employers are not allowed to know the HIV-status of their workers at all -- they are not allowed to have them tested even when they work closely with members of the public -- because such testing would 'intervene with their human rights to privacy'.
Now the traditional South Africa buck-passing has also started, with Hadebe saying that the health department 'was only involved in the testing process and it was up to the private facility to decide on what course of action to take regarding possible quarantining....

Actually Hadebe is wrong -- by law, it is the ultimate responsibility of the health department to oversee all infectious disease-treatments in the country are undertaken properly, whether in private- or public hospital settings. Of course if your previous health minister threw a concoction of beetroot and garlic around with claims that it was an Aids-cure, what kind of intelligent decision-making could you ever expect from her former underlings?

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2405028,00.html
http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/2118685/__Ziekenhuis_sluit_operatiekamers__.html
Posted by JanDeKlerk at 02:21
Labels: Four people dead of mystery haemorrhagic fever in SA hospitals?
http://censorbugbear-reports.blogspot.com/2008/10/4th-dead-from-mystery-zambian.html

 

[Treyfish]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

4th death from mystery illness?
06/10/2008 10:07 - (SA) Johannesburg - A fourth person is believed to have died of a mystery flu-like illness in Johannesburg, the health department said on Monday.
The latest victim had been a cleaner at the Morningside Medi-Clinic.
"The cleaner fell ill over the weekend and was admitted to Leratong Hospital on the West Rand for treatment, but died early on Monday," said spokesperson Fidel Hadebe.
Three other people presented the same flu-like symptoms at the hospital since September.
The first patient, a Zambian woman arrived at the Morningside Medi-Clinic with flu-like symptoms on September 12. She was treated for tick-bite fever and other potential infections but died two days later.
Tests were not conclusive of any particular disease including viral hemorrhagic fevers.
A Zambian paramedic who had accompanied her into the country died last week and a nurse at the Morningside Clinic died on Sunday.
Cleaner 'a sickly person for a long time'
However, Hadebe said the cleaner had apparently been a very sickly person for a long time and had been in and out of hospitals.
"Her health hasn't been that well, but various tests and post-mortems will be conducted to determine the cause of death.
Those who visited Zambia in the last month and are experiencing the same flu-like symptoms were urged to immediately go to their nearest hospital.
Hadebe said the department was only involved in the testing process and it was up to the private facility to decide on what course of action to take regarding possible quarantining. - SAPA :tiphat:http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2405028,00.html

 

[Giuseppe]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

S.Africa: No need for panic over killer illness [Alertnet]

S.Africa: No need for panic over killer illness

06 Oct 2008 15:50:31 GMT
Source: Reuters
(Adds health department statement)
By Michael Georgy

JOHANNESBURG, Oct 6 (Reuters) -

South African health officials said on Monday they were closely monitoring an unknown disease similar to hemorrhagic fever that has killed three people, but called on the public not to panic.


Melinda Pelser, spokeswoman at Johannesburg's Morningside Clinic, which treated the three patients, said the disease causes external and internal bleeding and was spread through bodily fluids.

But there were no signs it was airborne.

Tests were being carried out on the body of a Morningside hospital cleaner, to see if the death was linked to the disease.

South Africa's Health Department, which issued an alert over the weekend, said: "Blood samples of three of the cases are negative for any particular disease, including Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers."

"At this stage the Department cannot confirm speculations linking these deaths to Ebola or any of the other viral hemorrhagic fevers," it said in a statement.

"The Department of Health would like to call on South Africans not to panic," it said.

Dr Frew Benson, the department's director of communicable diseases, told Talk Radio 702: "Our one concern is that we don't know what we're dealing with...the fact that we don't know what the disease is, is a matter of concern for us."

There are several strains of hemorrhagic fever, including Ebola and Marburg, which have killed hundreds of people in outbreaks in Africa.

The diseases cause bleeding from multiple sites and can have very high death rates.

"Healthcare workers are monitoring all individuals who have been in close personal contact with the cases and are in particular looking for flu-like symptoms and raised temperatures (above 38 degree Celsius)," the Health Department said.

The first death was a Zambian woman flown to South Africa for treatment.

A paramedic who accompanied her later died, health authorities said.

Ebola is rare, but there is no known cure and the virus usually kills between 50 and 90 percent of its victims.It is spread through contact with bodily fluids of a patient.

As with other hemorrhagic fevers, patients die from dehydration, bleeding, and shock.

The latest outbreak, which ended in February in Uganda, was unusually mild, killing 37 people out of 149 infected.

A previous outbreak in Uganda in 2000 killed more than half of 425 people infected and a 2007 outbreak in neighbouring Congo infected 264 people, killing 187.

Marburg has similar characteristics. At least 150 people died in an epidemic in Angola in 2004 and 2005.

(Additional reporting by Muchena Zigomo; Editing by Barry Moody)
--
​

<cite cite="http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L6514392.htm">Reuters AlertNet - S.Africa: No need for panic over killer illness</cite>

 

[Commonground]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

[another article stating it is negative for VHF]
Mystery disease 'not airborne'

-snip-

Unidentified disease
Despite all three having flu-like symptoms similar to Viral Haemorrhagic Fever (VHF), tests for several diseases, including VHF, came back negative, according to a statement from the Department of Health.
Meanwhile a cleaner at the hospital, who was in contact with the deceased, died on Monday morning.
But Benson said the most likely cause of her death was an "underlying chronic disease" she had had for some time.
He could not disclose the name of the cleaner's disease.
The cleaner had been monitored because she had worked in the ward where the first woman was treated. But Benson said she did not show the same symptoms of the unidentified contagious disease.
"Case definition" included a high temperature coupled with an exposure to any of the deceased.
Morningside Medi-Clinic spokesperson Melinda Pelser told News24 the hospital had tried to locate the cleaner, who worked for an outsourced cleaning service, in an attempt to monitor her condition once it emerged that the disease was infectious.
They were able to trace her on Sunday morning, by which stage she had already been admitted to Leratong Hospital on the West Rand.

Specialist hospitals
The cleaner was then transferred to Charlotte Maxeke Academic hospital, which along with Steve Biko Academic (formerly known as Johannesburg General Hospital and Pretoria Academic Hospital, respectively), had been identified as the two hospitals dealing with the disease.
Anyone who has flu-like symptoms or a high temperature and has been in touch with the deceased or their family should report to these hospitals, Pelser said.
People who have been to Zambia in the past month and have the symptoms should also report to the hospital or contact the Department of Health's Zanele Mngadi on 082*7220161 if they are elsewhere in the country.
Meanwhile Morningside Medi-Clinic has been fielding calls from concerned members of the public who are afraid of coming into the hospital.
Pelser said no infected persons were being treated at the hospital. "Our hospital is safe," she said.
Reports in the Pretoria News said that those who had been in contact with the deceased were being quarantined, but Dr Benson said this was not the case.
"We won't quarantine them," he said. "What we are doing is we are monitoring their temperature."
Morningside Medi-Clinic said they were unaware of anyone being quarantined.

Sneezes and coughs
Pelser said the two hospitals dealing with the disease had the facilities and specialists in place to handle infectious diseases.
"If you were in the same room as the person you wouldn't get it but if they had to sneeze in your face or cough in your face then there's a risk," she said.
The first woman who died was a South African who had been working as a tourism manager in Zambia, and often went horse-riding into the bushes on adventures, Pretoria News reported.
She had severe flu-like symptoms, diarrhoea and a rash.
- News24
-snip-
[comments to this article included]
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,9909,2-7-1442_2405082,00.html

 

[Commonground]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

[I don't know if all these details are already posted yet, I apologize if its a repeat. so we got the inital lady, 12th, died 14th. Paramedic, 27th, died 28th. Nurse, 30th, died Oct. 5th.]

'public don't paniekerig get/touch not'
oct 06 2008 10:57:18:290am - (sa)

print article
e-mail story on a friend




antoinette pienaar
'a fourth person is gisteraand (sondagaand) dead, possible also to 'a hoogs-aansteeklike illness that/what by 'a ill woman of zambië south-africa binnegekom have.

me. zanele mngadi of the gautengse department of health have monday gesê 'a cleaner that/what close to the woman in the morningside medi-clinic worked have, have first at the leratong-hospital logged, vanwaar she/his after the charlotte maxeke- (formerly johannesburgse) hospital oorgeplaas is.

she is allow gisteraand dead.

the national institute for transferable illnesses (nios) is still naarstiglik busy with tests at/to the source to establish.

according to mngadi goes they/them/their also the oorledenes se corpses examine.

the illness, that/what symptoms similar to flu have, does not get by the air having been imparted not, but by liggaamsvloeistowwe, have 'a streeksbemarkingsbestuurder of the morningside medi-clinic, me. malinda pelser, monday gesê.

"...our will affirm the breë public get/touch not paniekerig not ... there's no uitbreking at the hospital not and we have at the moment no pasiënte with like simptone not," have pelser gesê.

hospitaalpersoneel that/what in contact with the oorledenes has been, (get) continuously monitored, has its gesê.

the department of health have yesterday in 'a mediaverklaring travelers what the past month in zambië has been, warned at/to hospital toe to goes if they/them/their griepsimptome be experiencing.

the zambiese woman has been crucial sick toe she/his on 12 september in the morningside medi-clinic recorded is.

she is two days later on dead, but tests for several illnesses, among others hemorragiese fever, has been negatively.

on 27 september is the paramedikus that/what her of zambië accompany have, in the same hospital recorded with griepsimptome.

she/his state have at the outset improve, but wednesday all over again agteruitgegaan. the man is the following day dead.

all tests on him has also been negatively.

yesterday (sunday) is 'a nurse of the hospital, what the zambiese woman cherisheth have, dead after she/his on 30 september in the sir albert robinson-hospital at the wes-border recorded is.

also in her event has been all tests negatively.

pelser have yesterday gesê she/his cant the pasiënte se names known are not making, because the illness aanmeldbaar is (at the gesondheidsowerheid).

"all that/what our knows, is that it hoogs contagious is.

"consignment is supposedly by druppelbesmetting when someone cough or sneeze or when the person with the person ill se liggaamsvloeistowwe in contact come.

"it is severe enough to be careful. our feel obligates at/to people to warn."

the steve biko- (formerly pretoriase) academic and the charlotte maxeke-hospital is on hoë readiness placed at/to any cases that/what hiermee mortgage keep, to manage.

people who the past month in zambië has been and hoë fever or griepsimptome have, must after their nearest hospital goes for 'a medical examine. they/them/their also can dr. chika asomugha of the gautengse department of health contact at 082 330 1490.

mngadi were to at/to 10:00 monday with amptenare of the department rendezvoused over the youngest verwikkelings in the examinations after the deaths. she has warned that it days can expensive before the nios with answers vorendag come.

according to pelser has been the cleaner 'a long time sick, but must protocol be followed, because she/his the hall where the zambiese woman treat is, cleared have.

the hall is ingevolge infeksiebeheermaatreels already during the first event ontsmet. there's at present no pasiënte where the illness suspect (get) in the hospital not.

"i want to it just clear set there's no uitbreking in the hospital not," have pelser gesê.

http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2405052,00.html

 

[Giuseppe]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Asinine question: if they don't know which is the causal agent of this fatal condition, how can they assure that the unknown pathogen cannot spread via aerosols or small particles?

 

[Giuseppe]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

AFP: Mystery illness kills four in South Africa

Mystery illness kills four in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) ?

Four people, two of them Zambians, have died in Johannesburg of a mystery flu-like illness, the health department spokesman said Monday.


"The initial patient, who was from Zambia, arrived in South Africa on September 12 and she died two days later after being treated for tick-bite fever," Fidel Hadebe told AFP.

"The (Zambian) medical personnel who accompanied her also died two days later after being treated for flu," Hadebe said.

"A third person, a nursing sister at the same clinic in Johannesburg, also died, while a cleaner at the same clinic also took ill and died late Sunday," he added.

"We are still investigating the actual causes of these deaths to determine if they are related to flu or fever. We cannot at this stage say categorically what the causes are because we dealt with a combination of symptoms from these patients," he said.

"But most of the patients who died manifested flu-like symptoms," Hadebe said.

Health authorities were trying to trace anyone who had contact with the victims, in a bid to contain the disease. Anyone who had travelled to Zambia over the past month and who was suffering from flu-like symptoms was advised to seek medical attention.
--
​

<cite cite="http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iBQfkTzGqd2Im6dzNJrMSMmJry-w">AFP: Mystery illness kills four in South Africa</cite>

 

[Treyfish]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Health dept scrambles to contain killer virus
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width=10 align=left border=0 valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD align=left>

</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>

The latest victim was a woman who worked for the Morningside clinic​

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>October 06, 2008, 22:30

The Gauteng Health Department has assured the public that its experts are working hard to contain the mysterious infectious disease, which has claimed the lives of four people in Johannesburg.

Two South African staff members at Morningside Medi-Clinic and two Zambians are suspected to have contracted the disease and have died. The department has not been able to identify the disease. Gauteng health MEC Brian Hlongwa says they expect definite results within 10 days.

Hlongwa says they've put systems in place to contain the mysterious, infectious disease. These include strict referral surveillance at the two international airports - OR Tambo and Lanseria - intensification of infection control systems in all health facilities, mortuary services and patient transport systems in Gauteng.

Symptoms of this infectious disease include vomiting, nausea, diarrhoea, high temperature and skin rash. Hlongwa has urged people with such symptoms and have been in contact with the infected people to seek medical assistance. :tiphat:http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/health/0,2172,177879,00.html

 

[Treyfish]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

<TABLE width="100%"><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD>Deadly Jo'burg disease remains a mystery

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA Oct 06 2008 18:15
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>



The nature of the deadly disease that has claimed the lives of at least three people in Johannesburg remained a mystery on Monday as health authorities sought to dispel public fears.

National health spokesperson Fidel Hadebe said the department was by late afternoon still awaiting blood culture results of samples taken from the victims.

"[We] would like to call on South Africans not to panic ... the Department [of Health] is monitoring the situation closely," he said.

"People with these symptoms [flu-like symptoms and raised temperatures] who did not have contact with these cases do not need to be concerned. However, they may contact their doctor if they need reassurance."

Hadebe said blood samples of the three deceased were negative for any particular disease, including viral haemorrhagic fevers.

"The department is at this stage unable to link the death of a fourth patient [a cleaner at the Morningside Medi-Clinic clinic] to the initial three cases given the fact that she was admitted for an unrelated health condition and did not develop similar symptoms throughout her illness."

Further tests would be done to determine to the cause of the worker's death.

The first casualty who succumbed to the unknown disease was a 36-year-old woman who was airlifted from Zambia to the Morningside Medi-Clinic in Sandton on September 12.

She was treated for tick-bite fever and other potential infections, but died two days later.<CENTER> </CENTER>

A Zambian paramedic who had accompanied her into the country died last week, and a nurse at the Morningside Clinic and a cleaner died on Sunday.

Blood samples of three of the cases, excluding the cleaner, were negative for any particular disease.

All health facilities were required to comply with universal infection control measures, which include the washing of hands and the use of gloves, said Hadebe.

The illness could only be contracted through bodily fluids, therefore the department warned health workers to avoid direct contact with those suspected of having a communicable disease.

Hadebe said individuals who have been in close personal contact with the deceased were being monitored for flu-like symptoms and raised temperatures of above 38 degree Celsius.

Isolation wards were ready and available in case there was a need.

The department said every hospital had had isolation wards before and they were not just made available because of the outbreak of this unknown disease.

Concerns
Meanwhile, Zambian authorities and the World Health Organisation (WHO) said they had mounted investigations into the unknown disease.

Zambia's High Commissioner in Pretoria, Leslie Mbula, said reports from Zambia indicated that no other person in that country had contracted the "mysterious disease".

The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa) raised concerns about the outbreak, saying the department must address this "crisis" as a matter of urgency.

"[These deaths] underline the extent of danger that is posed by the disease to both health workers and the general public," it said in a statement.

Further, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) expressed shock and said it was saddened by the "untimely" passing of two health professionals who treated the first victim.

"This unfortunate incident is an illustration of the life-threatening risks to which health professionals such as doctors and nurses are exposed ...," the federation said.

"While we are satisfied with occupational health and safety mechanisms for all known highly contagious conditions, the risk of exposure to new outbreaks cannot be understated."

Both Cosatu and Denosa conveyed their condolences to families of the victims. -- Sapa :tiphat:http://www.mg.co.za/article/2008-10-06-deadly-joburg-disease-remains-a-mystery

 

[Treyfish]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

<TABLE xmlns:fo="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Format"><TBODY><TR><TD class=ArticleHead colSpan=2>A Chronology Of Death<!--head0--></TD></TR><TR><TD class=Byline><!--byline1-->Borrie la Grange and Werner Swart<!--byline0--></TD><TD class=Published align=right>Published:<!--date1-->Oct 07, 2008<!--date0--></TD></TR><TR><TD class=ArticleHead colSpan=2><HR class=ArticleLine width="100%" SIZE=1></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=200 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD class=RelatedLinksTitle style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"></TD></TR><TR><TD><SCRIPT src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/152/addthis_widget.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT><SCRIPT type=text/javascript> addthis_pub = 'lindazinhle'; addthis_logo = 'http://www.addthis.com/images/yourlogo.png'; addthis_logo_background = 'EFEFFF'; addthis_logo_color = '666699'; addthis_brand = 'Your Site'; addthis_options = 'stumbleupon, favorites, digg, delicious, newsvine, facebook, google, live,'; </SCRIPT>http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--par1--><!--par0-->
<!--blurb1-->SEPTEMBER 4: Cecilia van Deventer shows signs of being ill and visits three medical facilities in Lusaka.<!--blurb0-->
<!--par1--><!--par0-->
<!--par1--><!--par0-->
<!--par1--><!--par0-->
<!--par1-->After being treated at the CopMed Clinic, the CFB Medical Clinic and the Lusaka Trust Hospital :magnify:her condition deteriorates and doctors decide to transfer her to South Africa for specialist treatment. <!--par0-->
<!--par1-->SEPTEMBER 12: Van Deventer arrives in South Africa on a medical charter flight.<!--par0-->
<!--par1-->She is accompanied by paramedic Hannes Els, 33, of Speciality Emergency Services, and is admitted to the Morningside Medi-Clinic.<!--par0-->
<!--par1-->SEPTEMBER 14: Van Deventer dies in hospital and Els returns to Zambia.<!--par0-->
<!--par1-->SEPTEMBER 27: Els is brought to South Africa after showing symptoms similar to those of Van Deventer. <!--par0-->
<!--par1-->He too is admitted to the Morningside Medi-Clinic.<!--par0-->
<!--par1-->OCTOBER 2: Els dies in hospital. An unnamed nurse, who attended to Van Deventer, phones the hospital to say that she is feeling ill. <!--par0-->
<!--par1-->She is admitted to the Sir Albert Robinson Hospital, in Randfontein.<!--par0-->
<!--par1-->OCTOBER 5: The nurse dies in hospital in the early hours of the morning. A cleaner at the Morningside Medi-Clinic, with a history of illness, dies late at night at the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital. <!--par0-->
<!--par1-->It is confirmed that she worked in the ward in which Van Deventer was treated.<!--par0-->
<!--par1-->OCTOBER 6: Both the Gauteng department of health and the Morningside Medi-Clinic plead with the public not to panic. <!--par0-->
<!--par1-->The National Institute for Communicable Diseases say it is conducting tests to identify the disease.<!--par0-->
<!--par1--><!--par0-->
<!--par1-->Zambian Ministry of Health spokesman Canisius Banda said yesterday that health officials have traced more than 10 people with whom Van Deventer had been in contact since last month. Other contacts are being sought.<!--par0-->
<!--par1-->None of the identified contacts have presented symptoms similar to those of Van Deventer but all have been told to report immediately the onset of cold or flu-like symptoms. <!--par0-->
<!--par1-->There is a possibility that they could all be quarantined <!--par0-->
<!--par1--><!--par0-->
<!--par1-->Banda said it was possible that while Van Deventer was in Zambia the disease was in the incubation stage and not contagious.<!--par0-->
<!--par1-->?At the moment, there is no reason to be worried` here.<!--par0-->
<!--par1-->?A working group, including doctors, the World Health Organisation and the Centres for Disease Control is meeting to road-map a plan on how to manage the situation,? Banda said.<!--par0-->
<!--par1-->Van Deventer lived in the affluent Kabulonga suburb of Lusaka and worked for Wild Safaris.:tiphat: http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=857564
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[Treyfish]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Deadly virus not airborne

6 October 2008, 22:30 GMT + 2 0 comments
Disease transmitted via bodily fluids Sashni Pather THE deputy director of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases has assured the public that there is no need to panic, despite the fact that four people have been killed by an unknown, highly contagious virus. Doctor Lucille Blumberg, who also heads up the NICD?s epidemiology unit and consults to its special pathogens unit, referred to the death of Cecilia van Deventer, 36, as an ?isolated case? and said test results were not yet available. But experts at the University of Stellenbosch believe the mystery virus is ?most likely haemorrhagic fever?. A paramedic, Hannes Els, 33, who treated the critically ill Van Deventer in Zambia, and brought her to the Morningside Medi-Clinic in Sandton on September 12, died last Thursday after being infected with the highly contagious disease. On Sunday a nurse and a cleaner, who had possibly been exposed to the disease, died. Blumberg said: ?The cause of death of the cleaner is still being investigated. We are busy conducting tests on all four deceased. The cleaner might not have been killed as a result of the virus. ?This is an isolated case. There have been no other reported cases in Lusaka, Zambia. ?We do not have an issue with people travelling there.? She said the Els family are being ?closely monitored?. Dr Jantjei Taljaard, of the division of infectious diseases at the University of Stellenbosch, said the cases were most probably haemorrhagic fever. He said: ?This is one of the most contagious viruses . It has an 80percent or higher chance of being transmitted. Transmission occurs through bodily fluids, like being exposed to the person?s blood.? The virus, he said, causes multiple organ failure. ?However, it is difficult to speculate and the families of the people who have died are being closely monitored by the health authorities. Mass hysteria is not necessary in this case.? Eileen Brannigan, Netcare?s director for nursing, said yesterday that all Netcare units, specifically casualty departments, have been placed on high alert for any of the symptoms indicated by the deceased individuals. The special pathogens unit of the NICD is primarily responsible for the diagnosis and investigation of biohazard Class 4 viruses. Class 4 viruses known or considered likely to occur in Africa include Marburg, Ebola, Rift Valley fever, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, Lassa fever- related arenaviruses, and hantaviruses. Marburg disease first appeared in Europe in 1967 in association with monkeys imported from Africa, and again in 1969 when the rodent-borne Lassa fever first appeared as a fatal disease affecting missionary nurses in West Africa. In 1975, two young Australian tourists became sick in South Africa with what proved to be Marburg haemorrhagic fever after visiting Zimbabwe. In 1996, 46-year-old theatre nurse Marilyn Lahana was infected by a Gabon doctor with the deadly Ebola virus. Lahana and the doctor died About five or six cases of Congo fever are reported a year in the Northern Cape and Free State.:tiphat:http://blogs.thetimes.co.za/news/

 

[Treyfish]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

No travel alert to Zambia

6 October 2008, 15:58J
ohannesburg - Zambian authorities and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have mounted investigations into the unknown disease that has so far claimed four lives in South Africa.

Zambia's High Commissioner in Pretoria, Leslie Mbula, said on Monday reports from Zambia indicated that no other person in the country had contracted the "mysterious disease".

"Zambia has mounted an investigation and is working closely with the World Health Organisation. Apart from the two people who died at Morningside Medi Clinic, there have been no reports of anyone presenting with the illness in Zambia," Mbula said.

Mbula said he had spoken to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Simon Miti, who confirmed the situation.

Zambia's health minister Brian Chituwo was due to release a statement later on Monday.

Four people have died in South Africa of a highly infectious disease that has yet to be identified, the health department has said.

The first casualty was a woman from Zambia who was critically ill when she arrived in South Africa on September 12. She was treated for tick-bite fever and other potential infections at Morningside Medi-Clinic, but died two days later.

Blood tests were not conclusive for any disease.

The second victim was a Zambian male paramedic who had accompanied the woman. He was admitted on September 27 with flu-like symptoms and treated for a range of infections.

A nurse from the clinic also died following contact with the Zambian woman.

The fourth was a cleaner who had worked in the ward.

South Africa's foreign affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said South Africa had not issued a travel alert to Zambia.

"We have not issued a warning to travellers. But speak to the department of health, they are dealing with the issue," Mamoepa said.

Mbula, however, said people should not be afraid of travelling to Zambia.

"Please continue travelling to Zambia. There is no danger," he said. - Sapa :tiphat:http://www.thestar.co.za/?fSectionId=&fArticleId=nw20081006154719501C877185

 

[Treyfish]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Re: UNDIAGNOSED FATALITIES - SOUTH AFRICA ex ZAMBIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION [ProMedMail.org]

Urgent warning about deadly disease <!--head0-->

06 October 2008
Zinhle Mapumulo
<TABLE cellPadding=5 width=200 align=right border=0><!--box0--><TBODY><TR><TD><CENTER>

</CENTER>
</TD></TR><!--box10--><TR><TD>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!--blurb1-->The Department of Health has sent out an urgent public health warning after three people died as a result of an unknown and highly infectious disease.<!--blurb0-->
<!--par1--><!--par0-->
<!--par1--><!--par0-->
<!--par1--><!--par0-->
<!--par1-->A Zambian man, accompanied by a paramedic, was admitted to the Morningside Medi-Clinic in Johannesburg on September 12 with flu-like symptoms. He died two days later. <!--par0-->
<!--par1-->The paramedic, who had shown the same symptoms, fell ill on September 27 and died two days later. <!--par0-->
<!--par1-->Yesterday the nurse who had attended to them succumbed and died at the Sir Albert Robinson Hospital on the West Rand.<!--par0-->
<!--par1-->She had taken ill on October 1. <!--par0-->
<!--par1-->None of the deceased have so far been named.<!--par0-->
<!--par1--><!--par0-->
<!--par1--><!--par0-->
<!--par1--><!--par0-->
<!--par1-->Health Department spokesman Fidel Hadebe said it was not known what caused the disease and how it was transmitted.<!--par0-->
<!--par1-->?Measures are in place to follow up all the people the deceased came into contact with,? he said. <!--par0-->
<!--par1-->?Healthcare workers and relatives are being monitored for raised temperatures and flu-like symptoms for 21 days.<!--par0-->
<!--par1-->Public healthcare facilities are on high alert to handle any cases related to this situation. <!--par0-->
<!--par1--><!--par0-->
<!--par1--><!--par0-->
<!--par1-->?All the blood samples tested for viral hemorrhaging fever and other formidable infectious diseases are negative. <!--par0-->
<!--par1-->?But people who recently travelled to Zambia are urgently requested to go to the nearest clinic or hospital for a medical examination.? <!--par0-->
<!--par1-->Hadebe said they had been in touch with their Zambian counterparts to notify them of the deaths. <!--par0-->
<!--par1-->Though no one had been quarantined yet, doctors were checking on clinic staff and relatives every few days.:tiphat:http://www.sowetan.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=856940