Congo Fever Kills Namibian Man

A man died in Namibia of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, known as Congo fever, a viral disease that is transmitted by ticks, the Ministry of Health said on Wednesday. 

“A single case is enough to declare an eruption” of the disease and for sanitary measures to be put in place against transmission, according to international standards, Ben Nangombe, executive director at the ministry, told AFP.

The case was verified on Sunday after testing, according to a statement released by the ministry on Tuesday. 

According to health officials, the individual, who was kept in isolation at a hospital in the capital Windhoek and died last week, had contact with a total of 27 identifiable persons.

The infectious disease is zoonosis, which means that it affects animals and can be transmitted to humans

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the transmission of this hemorrhagic fever happens "either through tick bites or through contact with blood or tissues of infected animals, during or immediately after slaughter."

The mortality rate ranges from 10% to 40%.

According to the Ministry of Health, the most recent known instances in Namibia occurred in 2020.