Gert van der Hoek
In Memoriam - Editor, Senior Moderator
First suspected ‘dengue fever’ case
26 Jun 2013 - Story by Alvine Kapitako
WINDHOEK - A woman from Okahandja has been admitted with what health authorities suspect to be dengue fever symptoms. The 47-year-old woman is currently in isolation in the Katutura State Hospital, where she was admitted on Sunday.
The health ministry has since been on alert monitoring possible incidences in the country, since it received the notification in May from the World Health Organisation, about the outbreak of dengue fever in Angola, Dr Siteko Zeko in the epidemiology department in the Directorate of Primary Health Care told New Era yesterday.
Dengue fever is in a group of hemorrhagic viral infections such as Ebola virus disease and yellow fever that occur primarily in tropical climates. Dengue fever is a mosquito borne infection found in tropical and sub-tropical regions around the world. The infection causes illness similar to flu and occasionally develops into a potentially deadly complication called severe dengue.
Zeko said the patient has informed health officials when she was admitted that she had visited relatives in Luanda. The patient visited Okahandja hospital seeking treatment for vomiting, headache, as well as muscle and joint pains. Blood samples have been sent to South Africa to determine if the woman is suffering from dengue fever. "We are still waiting to confirm the results," Zeko said.
The doctor said the patient “is stable at the moment. That is the term we use when the patient is not deteriorating or getting better." In a media statement Andrew Ndishishi, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Social Services said interviews were conducted with the woman's family members at Okahandja.
More : New Era
See also reports regarding the outbreak in neighbouring Angola: Over 800 Cases of Dengue Recorded in Angola
.
26 Jun 2013 - Story by Alvine Kapitako
WINDHOEK - A woman from Okahandja has been admitted with what health authorities suspect to be dengue fever symptoms. The 47-year-old woman is currently in isolation in the Katutura State Hospital, where she was admitted on Sunday.
The health ministry has since been on alert monitoring possible incidences in the country, since it received the notification in May from the World Health Organisation, about the outbreak of dengue fever in Angola, Dr Siteko Zeko in the epidemiology department in the Directorate of Primary Health Care told New Era yesterday.
Dengue fever is in a group of hemorrhagic viral infections such as Ebola virus disease and yellow fever that occur primarily in tropical climates. Dengue fever is a mosquito borne infection found in tropical and sub-tropical regions around the world. The infection causes illness similar to flu and occasionally develops into a potentially deadly complication called severe dengue.
Zeko said the patient has informed health officials when she was admitted that she had visited relatives in Luanda. The patient visited Okahandja hospital seeking treatment for vomiting, headache, as well as muscle and joint pains. Blood samples have been sent to South Africa to determine if the woman is suffering from dengue fever. "We are still waiting to confirm the results," Zeko said.
The doctor said the patient “is stable at the moment. That is the term we use when the patient is not deteriorating or getting better." In a media statement Andrew Ndishishi, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Social Services said interviews were conducted with the woman's family members at Okahandja.
More : New Era
See also reports regarding the outbreak in neighbouring Angola: Over 800 Cases of Dengue Recorded in Angola
.