WINDHOEK, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Namibia on Monday declared the end of the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever outbreak in the southern African country.
Namibia reported a suspected case of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever on May 17, and the patient succumbed to the disease on May 18. The case was laboratory-confirmed on May 21, prompting the health ministry to declare an outbreak of the disease on May 22.
No additional cases of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever have been detected in the country, hence the move to declare an end to the outbreak, Minister of Health and Social Services Kalumbi Shangula said.
"Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever transmission is considered interrupted when no new case is identified for a period equal to a double incubation period, namely 28 days, following the last possible exposure," the minister said.
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is a severe viral hemorrhagic disease, with a fatality rate of up to 40 percent. It is primarily transmitted to humans through tick bites, handling and crushing of ticks with bare hands, or contact with tissues of infected livestock. Human-to-human transmission can occur through close contact with infected persons' blood, secretions, organs, or bodily fluids. ■
