Zimbabwe: Country on Alert as Mysterious Flu Claims Four in S. Africa
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The Herald (Harare)
8 October 2008
Posted to the web 8 October 2008
Bulawayo
ZIMBABWE has been placed on high alert following reports of a mysterious flu-like disease that has so far claimed four lives in neighbouring South Africa, the Minister of Health and Child Welfare, Dr David Pari-renyatwa, said last night.
Of the four people who died, two were Zambians.
In an interview, Dr Parirenyatwa said the country's SARS (acronym for severe acute respiratory syndrome) and haemorrhagic fever teams were on high alert while investigations into the illness were in progress.
He, however, assured the nation that there was no need to panic as the disease could only be transmitted through direct contact with an infected person.
"We will be holding a meeting with World Health Organisation officials and other stakeholders tomorrow (today), to talk about the disease," said Dr Parirenyatwa.
"There is no need for people to panic as the cases of infection were isolated, happened outside Zimbabwe and one needs to have direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person to catch the disease."
Dr Parirenyatwa said the severe flu afflicting many people in the country was not linked to the deadly viral disease.
Cross-border traders have expressed fear that the mysterious disease, which originated in Zambia, could infect them because they visit neighbouring countries regularly to do business.
Some of them have kept on calling their relatives to check on their welfare, especially those that they left suffering from normal colds and flu.
The flu bug that has hit Zimbabwe, causing many people to be hospitalised in some cases, has heightened their fears.
Health authorities in South Africa have, however, reassured travellers that there is no need to panic as the viral infection could only be transmitted through exchange of bodily fluids and is not airborne.
According to WHO's website, Zambia has since launched an investigation into the mysterious illness.
The disease is said to have claimed its first victim on September 14.
The first victim was a Zambian woman who died at Morningside Medi-Clinic in South Africa after arriving in that country on September 12 already critically ill from the unknown infection.
A Zambian male paramedic who had accompanied the woman to South Africa was infected and admitted to the same hospital on September 27 with flu-like symptoms and was treated for a range of infections. However, he later died.
The third victim was a South African nurse at the same clinic who died following contact with the Zambian woman she was nursing.
The fourth victim was a cleaner who worked in the ward where the Zambian victim was admitted.
Zambia's High Commissioner to South Africa Mr Leslie Mbula said from Pretoria on Monday that reports from Zambia indicated that no other person in the country had contracted the "mysterious disease".
"Zambia has mounted an investigation and is working closely with the WHO. Apart from the two people who died at Morningside Medi-Clinic, there have been no reports of anyone presenting with the illness in Zambia," Mr Mbula said.
"The disease is transferable through bodily fluids and is not airborne. We want to ensure that there's no panic in the broader public.
"There is no outbreak at the hospital. We currently don't have patients with the same symptoms," said Medi-Clinic regional marketing manger Malinda Pelser.
Meanwhile, all hospital staff who came into contact with the deceased patients have been put under close medical supervision.
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Tests conducted on the patients were not conclusive of any particular disease, including viral haemorrhagic fevers.
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