South Africa - Patient suspected of viral haemorrhagic fever admitted to East London?s Life St Dominic?s Hospital

[Pathfinder]

?Fever? patient quarantined in EL hospital

A PATIENT suspected of having a viral haemorrhagic fever was admitted to East London?s Life St Dominic?s Hospital last night.<!--par0-->
<!--par1--><!--par0-->
<!--par1--><!--par0-->
<!--par1-->
Hospital manager Kurt Wylie said when the patient was admitted three patients were moved to Life East London Hospital because they were occupying an area designated for isolating suspected highly infectious cases. <!--par0-->
<!--par1--><!--par0-->
<!--par1-->
Wylie allayed fears over the danger of the disease and said Life St Dominic?s was fully equipped to handle suspected and confirmed cases. <!--par0-->
<!--par1-->
?There is no cause for alarm,? he said. ?The National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) and the Department of Health have been notified of the suspected case. Until such time as the case is confirmed (and thereafter if it is confirmed), the patient will be nursed in accordance with the NICD protocols.?<!--par0-->
<!--par1-->
The identity of the patient or where he is from could not be confirmed last night. <!--par0-->
<!--par1-->
Viral haemorrhagic fevers are a diverse group of illnesses caused by five different families of viruses. All are characterised by fever and bleeding disorders and all can progress to high fever, shock and, in extreme cases, death. Some cause relatively mild illnesses, while others, such as the African Ebola virus, can cause severe, life-threatening disease. ? DDR

http://www.dispatch.co.za/article.aspx?id=393247

 

[alert]

Re: South Africa - Patient suspected of viral haemorrhagic fever admitted to East London?s Life St Dominic?s Hospital

Without knowing any travel history (or symptoms) it is difficult to hazard a guess as to a diagnosis. CCHF is endemic in South Africa, so would not require any travel. There is also an ongoing Rift Valley Fever outbreak in South Africa. If travel exists, a range of other illnesses might be suspect.

This one should be sent to ProMED.

 

[alert]

Re: South Africa - Patient suspected of viral haemorrhagic fever admitted to East London?s Life St Dominic?s Hospital

http://www.dispatch.co.za/article.aspx?id=393490

Fever? patient dies in EL

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Image of






2010/04/10
THE patient who was in isolation in an East London hospital on suspicion of being infected with a highly contagious disease has died.


The patient, who arrived at the Life St Dominic?s Hospital on Thursday evening exhibiting signs of a viral haemorrhagic fever, died yesterday afternoon while the hospital waited for the results of blood tests, which are due by the beginning of next week.
Last night St Dominic?s Hospital manager Kurt Wylie said that the patient, whose details he could not release, had died late in the afternoon.
He said: ?It remains unconfirmed that it is a viral haemorrhagic fever, it could be one of a number of possible diagnoses.?
He explained that until the test results came back they would continue exercising caution around this case.
When the patient arrived at the hospital he was immediately isolated. Three patients in the area designated for isolating suspected highly infectious cases were transferred to the Life East London Hospital.
?We are fully equipped to handle suspected and confirmed cases, and there remains no cause for alarm,? Wylie said. ? By NTANDO MAKHUBU, Health Reporter, ntandom@dispatch.co.za

 

[alert]

Re: South Africa - Patient suspected of viral haemorrhagic fever admitted to East London?s Life St Dominic?s Hospital

Congo fever is CCHF, which is spread by ticks, and was high on the list of potential diagnoses.

http://blogs.dispatch.co.za/dispatchnow/2010/04/13/viral-fever-claims-8-in-ec/

Viral fever claims 8 in EC!
Filed Under (breaking news, health) by Jan Hennop on 13-04-2010 and tagged Congo Fever, haemorrhagic fever, health, rift valley fever, st dominics[Note to readers: Corrects the ealier death toll from 10 to 7 on new information received from the Health Department - Online News Ed]

Rift Valley Fever has claimed 10 lives in the Eastern Cape in the last three months ? and now staff at an East London Hospital has reported a death suspected to have been caused by the highly-infectious Congo viral haemorrhagic fever, reported Ntando Makhubu.
South Africa?s National Institute for Communicable Diseases on Tuesday confirmed the deaths caused by Rift Valley Fever (RVF) in the province. Nationally, the death toll stands at 111.

The dead in the province include farmers, veterinarians and farm workers.

Meanwhile hospital staff at ST Dominics scrambled to isolate a patient who arrived at the hospital on Thursday night showing symptoms of suspected Congo viral haemorrhagic fever.

Three patients who were around the man were removed to the Life East London Private Hospital as a precautionary measure.

The man died on Friday afternoon. His details have not been released, but the hospital was expected to make a statement on the issue soon.

RVF is a viral disease that can cause severe illness in some infected humans.

The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes and causes outbreaks of abortion and deaths of young livestock among sheep, goats and cattle.

Humans less frequently become infected from contact with infected livestock tissue and less frequently from mosquito bites.

The disease occurs throughout Africa and Madagascar when exceptionally heavy rain favours the breeding of the mosquitoes.

Viral haemorrhagic fevers including Congo fever are a diverse group of illnesses caused by five different families of viruses.

All are characterised by fever and severe bleeding and all can progress to high fever, shock and, in extreme cases, death.

Some cause relatively mild illnesses, while others, such as the African Ebola and Marburg viruses, are potentially deadly

 

[alert]

Re: South Africa - Patient suspected of viral haemorrhagic fever admitted to East London?s Life St Dominic?s Hospital

I assume, given the fact that South Africa has some of the best reference labs in the world, that all forms of VHF have been ruled out. To me (at least), RVF is a form of VHF, so the writer is being a little sloppy.

Would be nice if they had given an actual diagnosis (to rule out a novel VHF), but with no one else ill, this is all we get at this point.

http://www.dispatch.co.za/article.aspx?id=394235

Meanwhile, the test results for a patient who died at East London’s St Dominic’s Hospital last week have come back negative for a suspected viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF).
VHF is not related to Rift Valley Fever.
The patient, whose details have not been released, arrived at the hospital on Thursday evening exhibiting signs of a VHF.
The hospital immediately isolated him as a precautionary measure. - By NTANDO MAKHUBU

 

[alert]

Re: South Africa - Patient suspected of viral haemorrhagic fever admitted to East London?s Life St Dominic?s Hospital

A ProMED post. Two errors here - first, the case was admitted on the 8th, not the 12th (and died the next day). Secondly, the case has apparently tested negative for all (known) VHF according to the previous post in this thread.

Either way, this thread is likely in the wrong place, as Ebola is not found in South Africa, and there is no indication of travel.

http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f..._BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,82246

Archive Number 20100414.1204
Published Date 14-APR-2010
Subject PRO/AH/EDR> Viral hemorrhagic fever - South Africa: (Eastern Cape) RFI

VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC FEVER - SOUTH AFRICA: (EASTERN CAPE) REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
******************************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: Mon 12 Apr 2010
Source: Dispatch Online (South Africa) [edited]
<http://www.dispatch.co.za/article.aspx?id=393247>


VHF patient isolated: South Africa (Eastern Cape)
-------------------------------------------------
A patient suspected of having a viral haemorrhagic fever was admitted
to East London's Life St Dominic's Hospital last night [12 Apr 2010].
Hospital manager Kurt Wylie said when the patient was admitted 3
patients were moved to Life East London Hospital because they were
occupying an area designated for isolating suspected highly
infectious cases.

Wylie allayed fears over the danger of the disease and said Life St
Dominic's was fully equipped to handle suspected and confirmed cases.
"There is no cause for alarm," he said. "The National Institute of
Communicable Diseases (NICD) and the Department of Health have been
notified of the suspected case. Until such time as the case is
confirmed (and thereafter if it is confirmed), the patient will be
nursed in accordance with the NICD protocols."

The identity of the patient or where he is from could not be
confirmed last night. Viral haemorrhagic fevers are a diverse group
of illnesses caused by 5 different families of viruses. All are
characterised by fever and bleeding disorders and all can progress to
high fever, shock and, in extreme cases, death. Some cause relatively
mild illnesses, while others, such as the African Ebola virus, can
cause severe, life-threatening disease.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-EAFR
<promed-eafr@promedmail.org>

[This report indicates a suspect viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) case
has been isolated in East London's Life St Dominic's Hospital.
Additional information on the case presentation, epidemiological and
laboratory findings will be appreciated.

A map of South Africa showing the provinces can be seen at
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provinces_of_South_Africa>, and the
HealthMap/ProMED interactive map of the country is available at
<http://healthmap.org/r/01aP>. - Mod.JFW]

[Previously outbreaks of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever [CCHF] have
been recorded in Eastern Cape province (see: Crimean-Congo hem. fever
- South Africa (02): (EAS) 20080726.2282, and Crimean-Congo hem.
fever - South Africa: (Eastern Cape) 20080716.2162). Indeed CCHF is
endemic in many countries in Africa, Although CCHF virus is
transmitted by ticks, humans who become infected with CCHF usually
acquire the virus from direct contact with blood or other infected
tissues from livestock during this time, and only rarely from a tick
bite. When patients with CCHF are admitted to hospital, there is a
risk of nosocomial spread of infection. In the past, serious
outbreaks have occurred in this way and it is imperative that
adequate infection control measures be observed to prevent this
disastrous outcome. - Mod.CP]

 

[alert]

Re: South Africa - Patient suspected of viral haemorrhagic fever admitted to East London?s Life St Dominic?s Hospital

This off-hand statement is technically true, but is in the wrong tense; the patient died six days ago.

http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f..._BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,82271

[snip]

This report indicates further that the case of suspected viral
haemorrhagic fever described in ProMED-mail post: "Viral hemorrhagic
fever - South Africa: (Eastern Cape) RFI 20100414.1204" is no longer
considered to be suffering from a viral haemorrhagic fever.