BC-HEALTH-LD-CONGO HEALTH-LD-CONGO KIMBERLEY June 18 Sapa POSSIBILITY OF CONGO FEVER RECEDES: DOCTOR 
	
	
 The Kimberley Provincial Hospital said it would probably know by Tuesday whether one of its patients had Congo Fever. 
	
	
 Medical Department head Dr Hamid Saeed said the patient's blood had been sent to the Institute for Virology in Johannesburg for analysis and the results of the first two sets of tests -- for illnesses other than Congo fever -- arrived back on Monday night and were negative. 
	
	
 A set of tests specifically for Congo fever were still outstanding. 
	
	
 Saeed said indications were that those tests would be negative too. He said it was his opinion that the patient -- a woman -- was suffering from tick bite fever. 
	
	
 The two have similar symptoms. 
	
	
 The woman was admitted to the hospital on Saturday after complaining of severe joint pains. 
	
	
 She also had a skin rash and was vomiting. 
	
	
 The patient told hospital authorities she became sick after being bitten by a tick about four months ago. 
	
	
 Although the woman's condition had deteriorated on Sunday it was showing improvement on Monday. 
	
	
 By afternoon she was conversing with her husband after being semi-comatose in the morning. 
	
	
 Between one and 10 cases of Congo Fever are reported in South Africa annually, with about 20 to 25 percent of patients dying, according to statistics from the virology institute. 
	
	
 A total of 158 cases of Congo Fever were diagnosed in southern Africa between 1981 and the end of 2000. 
	
	
 Early symptoms of the disease include severe headaches, red eyes, fevers and cold chills, body pain, and vomiting. 
	
	
 The disease can be contracted if a person is bitten by a certain tick or if a person comes into contact with the blood of a Congo Fever sufferer. 
	
	
 Source : Sapa /le/am/jje Date : 18 Jun 2001 20:47