Rift Valley Fever Epidemic kills 60 more people in Sudan--WHO
Pastor Dale Morgan
*Rift Valley Fever Epidemic kills 60 more people in Sudan--WHO*
02 Nov 2007 14:54:27 GMT
Source: Reuters
GENEVA, Nov 2 (Reuters) - An outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in Sudan has
struck at least 125 people, killing 60 of them, the World Health
Organisation (WHO) said on Friday.
The United Nations health agency said two weeks ago that it was
investigating a deadly outbreak in Sudan suspected to be yellow fever,
but laboratory tests have shown it was Rift Valley Fever, WHO spokesman
John Rainford said.
"There are 125 human cases and 60 deaths," he told Reuters.
More investigation was needed into the outbreak, which had erupted in
White Nile, Sennar and Jazeera provinces in central and eastern Sudan,
including the exact timing of the first cases, Rainford said. "Right now
we don't have a clear picture."
Rift Valley Fever virus, transmitted by contact with the blood or organs
of infected animals, can also be carried by mosquitoes, according to the
WHO. Herders, farmers, veterinarians and slaughterhouse workers are
deemed at higher risk of infection from the disease, which can devastate
livestock.
While most human cases are relatively mild, a small percentage of
patients develop a much more severe haemorrhagic form which can cause
them to vomit blood or pass it in their faeces. Bleeding from the nose
or gums can also occur.
The nearly 50 percent fatality rate was "very high" compared to the
usual expectations for Rift Valley Fever, but it was likely that many
more mild cases have not been detected in Sudan, according to Rainford.
"The Sudanese government has been highly cooperative and transparent in
sharing information," Rainford said.
WHO officials were in the area of the outbreak and the U.S. Naval
Medical Research Unit NAMRU-3 laboratory in Cairo had helped with the
laboratory analysis, he added.