Crimean–Congo fever patient cured in North West

The Klerksdorp Hospital’s Highly Infectious Disease Unit has successfully treated a Crimean-Congo fever patient.

Fifty-four-year-old Charl Pretorius, from a farm between Ventersdorp and Coligny, was admitted last week.

Klerksdorp Hospital Clinical Manager, Dr David Leburu, says viral haemorrhagic fevers live naturally in a variety of animal and insect hosts, most commonly mosquitoes, ticks, rodents or bats.

Leburu says, “In our case, our patient comes from the farm here in the North West. He picked up the disease, then he was treated in Potchefstroom in the private hospital. But as soon as the disease was established to be a high infectious disease in Crimean-Congo fever he was referred to the dedicated unit in Klerksdorp hospital called highly infectious disease unit where he has been treated successfully.”