Another patient from the Free State Province has died increasing the total number of people who have died from RVF to 14 since the first incident on 13 February 2010. Of these reported mortalities, seven are from Free State, six from Northern Cape and one from Western Cape.
A total of 164 laboratory confirmed human RVF cases has also been reported by the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) Laboratory 103 from Free State, 48 from Northern Cape, nine from Eastern Cape, one from North West, one from Western Cape and two additional cases whose history is still unknown.
The NICD is confident that the number of animal cases and therefore human cases are likely to decrease as the weather gets cooler.
The majority of human cases have had mild flu-like symptoms and have not developed complications. There is no human to human spread. The risk of disease is to persons having direct contact with blood or tissues of infected animals and the majority of people affected have been persons working on farms, veterinary workers and slaughter men.
The Department of Health and Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, supported by the South African Field Epidemiology and Training Programme (SA-FELTP), National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) and technical expert from World Health Organisation (WHO), continue to respond to the outbreak. They have prioritised the following response measures:
* Laboratory, epidemiology and surveillance interventions (for diagnosis, case finding and investigation)
* Health promotion interventions
* Environmental health measures
* Management of confirmed cases
* Vaccination of animals
A team from the national Department of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, conducted a fact-finding visit in Free State last week, to assess the Rift Valley fever (RVF) outbreak. They spent a whole week conducting meetings with the provincial and districts outbreak response teams. They also visited the affected farms in Lejweleputswa and Xhariep districts to provide technical support. Health promotion is prioritised and continuing in all affected provinces.
An animal vaccination programme on farms and suspected areas has also been affected by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, to protect livestock.
Visitors coming to South Africa for the FIFA World Cup are not at risk unless they handle infected carcasses on farms or handle raw meat from infected animals. There is no risk to visitors to game parks as the disease typically only affects ruminants such as sheep, cattle and goats.
Clinical features in humans:
Typical illness is asymptomatic or mild in the vast majority of infected persons and severe disease would be expected to occur in less than one percent of infected persons.
Key symptoms:
* The incubation period (interval from infection to onset of symptoms) for RVF varies from two to six days
* Sudden onset of flu-like fever and/or muscle pain
* Some patients develop neck stiffness, sensitivity to light, loss of appetite and vomiting
* Symptoms of RVF usually last from four to seven days, after which time the immune response becomes detectable with the appearance of antibodies and the virus gradually disappears from the blood.
Severe form of RVF in humans includes:
* Vision disturbances
* Intense headache, loss of memory, hallucinations, confusion, disorientation, vertigo, convulsions, lethargy and coma
* Haemorrhagic fever.
People living in the affected areas are encouraged to seek medical attention at their nearest Health facilities should they have any of the above symptoms.
Preventive measures:
While there is no specific treatment, the majority of persons affected will recover completely. People should avoid contact with the tissues of infected animals, refrain from drinking unpasteurised milk and prevent mosquito bites to avoid becoming infected. Farmers and veterinarians should wear protective clothing when handling sick animals or their tissues.
Enquiries:
Fidel Hadebe
Tel: 012 312 0663
Cell: 079 517 3333
Charity Bhengu
Tel: 012 320 8206
Cell: 083 679 7424
Issued by: Department of Health
29 April 2010
