Suspected VHF in Juba, southern Sudan

ABSTRACT

On 24 October 2008, the Ministry of Health of the Government of southern Sudan [MOH/GOSS] reported a suspected case of viral fever to WHO. The patient was a twenty-six years old, male, Lebanese working for a construction company as a foreman since May 2008. At the time of his illness he was working in a county 50km southwest of Juba. He fell sick on 14 October and was evacuated to Juba the next day. His main complains were pain in the throat, fever and persistent headache and general malaise. The patient was empirically treated for malaria in a private clinic, but showed no improvement. On 21 October 2008, the patient collapsed and had convulsions as he was boarding a plane to be evacuated to Lebanon for further treatment. He developed bleeding tendencies from multiple sites and was deeply jaundiced. He was later admitted to Juba Teaching Hospital [JTH]. where further clinical assessment was done. The initial laboratory test conducted in Kenya Medical Research Institute [KEMRI] tested the patient positive for Dengue virus. The condition of the patient continued to deteriorate, and the patient died on 26 October 2008 at the JTH. The specimen of the deceased was sent to a WHO CC for further test [cell culture]. All of the 40 close contacts of this patient, identified before the laboratory test, were closely followed up but none of them, till date, developed any symptom