Richards Guy A
Division of Critical Care, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Departments of Critical Care and Medicine and Pulmonology, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa.
S Afr Med J. 2015 Sep 14;105(9):709-12. doi: 10.7196/SAMnew.8168.
Recent events in West Africa have highlighted the potential for the viral haemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) to cause considerable mortality and morbidity among heathcare workers. However, this is not a new threat as, although the risk is currently increased, it has always been present. In South Africa (SA) the only endemic haemorrhagic fever is Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, transmitted by the Hyalomma tick, which is ubiquitous in cattle farming areas. Johannesburg, the commercial and transport hub of SA, is unusual in that all cases of VHF seen there are imported, either from rural areas in SA or from countries to the north. Johannesburg functions as the gateway to and from the rest of Africa, and as a destination for more affluent residents of neighbouring countries seeking medical attention. Numerous outbreaks of nosocomial infection have occurred in SA, and these are described in the form of brief case reports.
西非近期发生的事件凸显了病毒性出血热（VHFs）在医护人员中造成相当高死亡率和发病率的可能性。然而，这并非新的威胁，因为尽管目前风险有所增加，但它一直存在。在南非（SA），唯一的地方性出血热是克里米亚 - 刚果出血热，由璃眼蜱传播，这种蜱在养牛地区随处可见。约翰内斯堡是南非的商业和交通枢纽，其不同寻常之处在于在那里见到的所有VHF病例都是输入性的，要么来自南非农村地区，要么来自北部国家。约翰内斯堡是往返非洲其他地区的门户，也是邻国较富裕居民寻求医疗救治的目的地。南非发生了多次医院感染暴发，这些都以简短病例报告的形式进行了描述。
