Issued by National Ministry of Health
16 March 2010
People in areas infected with River Valley Fever (RVF) should refrain from handling, slaughtering or consuming sick animals as the virus continues to spread far and wide among animal population in Free State, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape provinces.
We will continue to see the increase of RVF human cases if people do not heed our call.
RVF is a viral disease that can cause severe disease in a low proportion of infected humans. Humans become infected from contact with infected tissues of livestock and less frequently from mosquito bites.
There is no specific treatment for RVF. There is no routine vaccine available for humans. 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.
To date, a total of 27 human laboratory confirmed cases of River Valley Fever (RVF) have been confirmed. Of these 26 cases are from Free State and one from Northern Cape. Two people have died from RVF since 13 February 2010.
The outbreak among people is still confined in the Free State and Northern Cape.
Most of these cases reported direct contact with RVF-infected livestock and or linked to farms with confirmed animal cases of RVF. The human cases are; farmers, veterinarians and farm workers. Additional suspect cases are currently being tested.
Outbreak investigations by the Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries are ongoing, and are being supported by the South African Field Epidemiology and Training Programme (SA-FELTP) and National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD).
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.
Typical illness from RVF is asymptomatic or mild in the vast majority of infected persons, and severe disease would be expected to occur in less than 1% of infected persons.
Severe form of RVF in humans includes:
Dr Molefi Sefularo, MP
Deputy Minister of Health
For enquiries: Charity Bhengu 083 679 7424
For interviews: Dr Patrick Moonasar 082 578 3107