BLOEMFONTEIN – The Department of Health in the Free State has confirmed that no new cases of malaria have yet been reported after the death of Albé Grobbelaar (53) from Luckhoff.
A multidisciplinary outbreak response team of the department is conducting education and awareness outreaches, as well as active tracking, to ensure that no malaria cases go unreported.
Mondli Mvambi, spokesperson for this department in the Free State, says the couple Albé and Sorina Grobbelaar’s son Louis (23) has been discharged from the Mediclinic Bloemfontein and travelled safely to Potchefstroom, where he is studying.
He confirmed that at that time, Sorina (50) was still being treated in a general ward in the Mediclinic Bloemfontein.
A team of entomologists from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) were expected to visit the Xhariep district between October 14 and 17 to get mosquitoes for testing to determine if there are malaria mosquitoes that can be linked to the case.
Genotyping tests carried out suggest that the three members of the Grobbelaar family were bitten by the same mosquito.
Mvambi advises that should members of the public who travel to malaria areas develop fever, chills, headaches, body aches and flu symptoms, they should seek medical attention as soon as possible by going to their nearest clinic or hospital.
In general, members of the public should avoid mosquito bites by using insect repellents and wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants at night. People are also urged to remove standing water around their home, where mosquitoes can hatch.
Mvambi says the department will provide new information as soon as it is available, and asks that people do not share unconfirmed news on social media platforms.
- The life of Albé Grobbelaar will be celebrated on Saturday, 25 October, in the Dutch Reformed church in Luckhoff.
