Niël Terblanché
The Ministry of Agriculture has, with immediate effect implemented preventative measures to curb the spread of the dreaded Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, following the recent death of a man who was infected.
The deceased was first treated at a clinic in Gobabis on May 16 and later transferred to the Windhoek Central Hospital, where he died on May 18.
A total 27 contacts were identified, of which, 24 were health care workers.
The Ministry of Health and Social Services has in the meantime announced that Namibia has recorded six CCHF outbreaks since 2016, with a total of three deaths.
Dr Albertina Shilongo, the Chief Veterinary Officer at the Directorate of Veterinary Services under the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform said in a statement that the new measures are being implemented to minimize the transmission of the infection from ticks and animals to humans in line with the Animal Health Act, Act 1of 2011.
She said the safety measures are the enforcement of tick control activities at all animal gathering events in line with the Animal gathering events Protocol.
Dr Shilongo further indicated that the directorate will be conducting regular inspections and where required will supervise tick control activities at identified high-risk animal establishments and auction facilities.
“Animal handlers are urged to ensure that animals are free from ticks and must wear protective clothing whenever conducting any slaughtering procedure re,” she said.
The Chief Veterinary officer also urged farmers to apply approved acaricides to control tick infestations.
Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a severe viral disease acquired from infected ticks through a tick bite, contact with infected wild or domestic animal blood or tissues and physical contact with the body fluids of an infected person. The disease is caused by the CCHF virus of the genus Nairovirus. According to Dr Shilongo, an infected animal does not manifest a clinical disease but gets a mild fever.
“However, in infected people, the onset of symptoms is sudden, with fever, dizziness, neck pain and stiffness, backache, headache, sore eyes and sensitivity to light. There may be nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and sore throat early on, followed by sharp mood swings and confusion,” she said.
Dr Shilongo has since urged any person showing the clinical signs to report to the nearest health facility.
The Directorate also requested the full cooperation of animal handlers and the general public in this regard.
According to protocols from the health Ministry and the World Health Organization, one lab confirmed CCHF case in a jurisdiction constitutes an outbreak.
