GARDEN ROUTE | KAROO NEWS - A highly contagious virus has hundreds of CX residents in its clutches with many patients reporting the worst bout they have ever experienced.
While doctors, patients, pharmacists and other emergency workers in Plettenberg Bay and Knysna are reporting an influx of people presenting symptoms ranging from fever and respiratory issues to body aches and congestion, it seems to not be isolated to the area.
It has even caught the attention of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).
The NICD has a surveillance system which monitors the circulation of respiratory viruses throughout the country and has now reported that it is currently in a peak season of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and that influenza virus infections were also starting to increase.
The RSV virus causes illness mainly in young children, but also contributes to respiratory illness in older individuals.
"Influenza virus season usually follows RSV, and we are starting to see an increase in cases," the NICD said in a statement.
District spokesperson for the Western Cape Health Department Nadia Ferreira confirmed the increase locally and said that RSV is highly contagious and spreads mainly through respiratory droplets. She added that it is also the most common cause of bronchiolitis and lower respiratory infections in patients.
A Knysna-Plett Herald snap survey among Plett and Knysna residents revealed that most patients experienced the worst flu symptoms they had ever experienced. About 20 locals reported symptoms including severe body pain, difficulty breathing, continuous coughing and extreme fatigue.
One patient, Boniswa Zwayena, said she had never been this sick. "It was so bad that I didn't shower for two days, because I felt too dizzy and weak to get out of bed," Zwayena said.
Another said she became delirious with fever and had such difficulty breathing that she had to use a nebuliser to find some relief. "I actually phoned loved ones panicking that I wouldn't survive the night," she said. Another patient said it knocked her entire family and that it was still spreading through schools.
Read more on www.knysnaplettherald.com
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