Hepatitis E afflicts Govt

TWO pregnant women have died from Hepatitis E in Windhoek, while 490 cases have been reported two months after health minister Bernard Haufiku declared an outbreak of the disease.

Haufiku yesterday said the two women who died were aged between 22 and 26 years. The first death was reported last year in November, while the second death occured on 18 January. Hepatitis E is a liver disease caused by faecal contaminated water and environmental contamination due to poor sanitation. The health ministry has blamed poor hygiene and sanitation for the spread of the disease, which first broke out last year in November. The disease has a case fatality rate of about 1% for the general public, and 10-30% of pregnant women. These latest figures suggest that the government is struggling to contain the disease despite allocating N$3,7 million to contain it. During a situation briefing on the outbreak in Windhoek yesterday, Haufiku said the majority of cases come from Havana (51%) and Goreangab (25%) informal settlements.