South Africa Faces an Outbreak of Rift Valley Fever
11 July 2010
In January 2007, in a village in Kenya, a Kenyan public health officer demonstrates how to spray a mixture of insecticides and water to prevent mosquitoes from entering houses during an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever
This is the VOA Special English Development Report.
Rift Valley fever mainly affects farm animals. But the virus can also infect humans, and South Africa has been experiencing an outbreak. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases reported two hundred twenty-five confirmed human cases as of July second. Twenty-five of the people died.
South Africa launched an expanded program to watch for public health threats during the World Cup. Health officials said last week that there were no cases of Rift Valley fever in tourists. The majority of farms affected by the outbreak are outside areas generally visited by travelers.
Most of the cases have been found in farm workers in two provinces: Free State and Northern Cape.
Most human infections with Rift Valley fever are caused by direct or indirect contact with diseased animals. Infected mosquitoes can also pass the disease to humans. So can drinking unpasteurized or uncooked milk from infected animals.
Most human cases of the disease are minor. Some patients do not get sick at all. Others may get flu-like symptoms such as fever, muscle and joint pain and headaches. Patients normally recover within seven days.
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