The Sunday News
Tinomuda Chakanyuka, Senior Reporter
AUTHORITIES in Matabeleland North province have failed to establish the nature and cause of a mysterious disease that broke out in parts of Hwange District early this year.
A study carried out by the Ministry of Health and Child Care in the district did not yield any results.
At least 43 people from the district were admitted to Lukosi Hospital after suffering from the unknown ailment in May.
Provincial medical director (PMD) for Matabeleland North Dr Nyasha Masuka last week said the investigations into the causes of the disease had been inconclusive.
“Our study could not identify the causative agent that was responsible for the outbreak in Hwange district blood samples collected from patients for culture yielded no growth at all,” he said.
Dr Masuka however, said the study had shown men to have been more at a higher risk of contracting the disease.
“Risk factors that were significantly associated with the undiagnosed febrile illness outbreak were male sex, having a friend or relative who suffered from fever, general body weakness, joint/muscle pain and headache as well as staying with a friend or relative who suffered from fever, general body weakness, joint/muscle pain and headache,” he said.
Dr Masuka said difficulties in detecting the nature and cause of the disease were as a result of the study having been conducted in retrospect when all the patients had been treated.
At the time the cases were reported, health workers could not conduct blood culture and other blood tests as the patients reportedly failed to pay for the tests.
“I feel maybe if we had tested the patients when they were still showing the symptoms we could have had conclusive results. The study was done in retrospect when all the patients had been treated which made it difficult to detect anything from blood tests,” he said.
Dr Masuka said the study had shown that the district’s emergency preparedness and response had been untimely and the district lacked adequate resources needed to conduct diagnostic tests to ascertain the true cause of the outbreak.
He however, said the province had since strengthened its Disease Surveillance System (DSS) at all medical facilities to ensure that tests are done in real time whenever there is a suspected outbreak.
“It was a weakness on our part, which we have since corrected. We have strengthened our disease surveillance system such that each case is recorded, and at the end of each week the cases are analysed.
“There is also need to increase capacity at health centres particularly Lukosi Hospital. That way our work will be cut out,” he said
The case control study involved comparing 43 patients who were affected by the disease with 86 other villagers from the same area who were not affected. A student at the University of Zimbabwe College Of Health Sciences carried out the study as part of his studies. Dr Masuka said the idea was to look back to see what the affected people were exposed to which those who didn’t get the illness may not have been exposed to.
The mysterious disease which broke out between April and May this year saw the affected villagers complaining of back aches, joint pains and high temperatures. According to authorities, the patients showed malaria symptoms but none of them tested positive for the disease, leaving doctors puzzled. No deaths were reported in the area as a result of the mysterious disease.
All the patients were admitted for an average of four days. They were treated and discharged. — @irielyan
