Killer virus threatens SA

2005-04-05 08:21

Carien Du Plessis

Steynsburg - The "deadliest virus" in the world might have killed a South African. Health authorities were waiting anxiously on Monday for the results of tests for the dreaded Marburg virus.

If the results are positive, the 50-year-old Eastern Cape resident will be the first person in South Africa to die of this contagious virus. Sapa reports that 150 people from the Uige province in Angola have already succumbed to the virus, similar to the notorious Ebola virus.

The dead South Africa travelled from Luanda about a week ago and spent time in Johannesburg. It is not clear what the rest of his itinerary was or how much time he spent in Johannesburg.

The man, whose identity has not been released, died in the hospital in Steynsburg near Aliwal North on Thursday night while he was waiting for treatment.

The World Health Organisation on Monday described the outbreak of the virus as "the deadliest yet".

A spokesperson for the Eastern Cape department of health, Sizwe Jupelo, said the deceased worked in Angola for about a year. It is possible that the man came into contact with the virus.

The man's body was taken to Nelson Mandela Hospital in Mthatha for a post-mortem and some of his tissue was sent to a laboratory in Pretoria for tests. Kupelo said the results of the tests should be known next week.

Eastern Cape MEC for health, doctor Bevan Goqwana, said the man vomited and had diarrhoea. Goqwana, who practised as a doctor before, said in his opinion it was unlikely that the man died because of the Marburg virus. "It could have been malaria."

The man saw a doctor in Molteno earlier this week and was treated for flu and bronchitis. However, he had no fever. The doctor in Molteno could not be reached on Monday.

Easily confused

The independent information service Med-Info says Marburg fever can easily be confused with more common diseases such as malaria, yellow fewer or typhoid fever because the symptoms are not specific.

Early symptoms include runny diarrhoea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, severe chest and lung pains, sore throat and coughing. In most cases, the lungs and intestines start bleeding at a later stage and a characteristic rash breaks out.

The virus is highly contagious and is spread through close contact with bodily fluids such as saliva and sweat.

The carrier of the virus normally falls ill within three to seven days, but doctor Andrew Jamieson of Netcare Travel Clinics said there have been cases where carriers of the virus fell ill only after 21 days. This makes it much easier for travellers to spread the disease to other areas.

"It is more important than ever that South African hospitals be alert for possible cases of people who were in Angola within the last three weeks," he said.

A spokesperson for the national department of health, Solly Mabotha, said the department is aware of this case, but it is too early to speculate whether it is the Marburg virus or not.

- Die Burger