By Ofentse Mokae
01 April 2010
The Health Department has confirmed four new cases of the Rift Valley Fever, bringing the total of laboratory confirmed human infections to 73 since February.
Direct contact with RVF-infected livestock and or linked to farms with confirmed animal cases of RVF, remain the main risk factor for the infection.
The human cases are farmers, veterinarians and farm workers.
Additional suspect cases are currently being tested.
Chief Director at the department Dr Faru Benson says affected farms are primarily clustered within Free State area.
“However animal cases of RVF have been confirmed in all districts with spill over into Eastern Cape and Northern Cape and Gauteng,” Benson says.
RVF is a viral disease that can cause severe disease in a low proportion of infected humans.
The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes and causes outbreaks of abortion and deaths of young livestock such as sheep, goats and cattle.
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