In a follow-up to the case of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) reported in Namibia last month, a second CCHF case was confirmed last week in the southwest African country.

The second case is a 19 year old male residing in a communal farm in Okongoua village, 250 km away from Gobabis, where the first case originated.

Namibia Image/Alvaro1984 18
Namibia
Image/ Alvaro1984 18

The two cases have no established epidemiological linkage.The case is still in admission and is expected to be discharged in the coming days.

Sixteen contacts have been systematically identified and monitored for 14 days from date of last contact. No new cases have since emerged.

According to the World Health Organization, CCHF was first reported in Namibia in 1986, with 3 cases recorded. Subsequent outbreaks have occurred in 1998 (1 case), 2001 (2 cases), 2002 (1 case) and 2010 (3 cases), scattered across 5 regions (Otjozondjupa, Khomas, Omaheke, Karas, and Kavango).

The current outbreak has occurred in Gobabis (with a population of 72,306 people) in Omaheke region, which reported its last outbreak in 2001. The fact that the two cases in the current outbreak had no epidemiological link could attest to the fact that the disease is prevalent in livestock in Namibia.

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