Kimberley - The condition of the well-known Kimberley man, Mark Elliott, who is being treated for Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, commonly known as Congo fever, in the isolation unit at Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe (RMS) Hospital is unchanged, according to his wife, Sharon.
After not feeling well last weekend, Elliott visited a doctor at Mediclinic Gariep, who then referred him to a physician. The physician suspected that he might have contracted Congo fever and he was transferred to RMS Hospital where further tests were conducted, confirming the diagnosis of Congo fever.
Mediclinic Gariep spokesperson Denise Coetzee confirmed on Wednesday that a 58-year-old male patient, with possible Congo fever, was referred to RMS Hospital on the evening of March 25. “The patient had a history of being bitten by a tick and presented with fever and swollen glands.”
Department of Health spokesperson Lulu Mxekezo said that the man works near Koopmansfontein and was bitten by a tick sometime last week.
“A laboratory test result on Tuesday confirmed that he is suffering from Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF). He is currently in a stable condition, still in the isolation unit,” Mxekezo said.
The length of the incubation period for Congo fever depends on the mode of acquisition of the virus.