NEWS about Louisa Hoffman possibly also being infected by the deadly Congo Fever poured cold water over Andries Hoffman's improving condition.

Louisa is also lying in isolation in a Bloemfontein hospital in South Africa where she will hear this morning whether she also has Congo Fever. Speaking from her hospital bed yesterday afternoon, she told The Namibian that her fever rose to higher than 38 degrees yesterday morning and that she had also developed flu-like symptoms.

She said: "This is very bad." This came after news that Andries might be discharged on Friday. Since yesterday, he is being treated in an ordinary ward. Louisa said that livestock inspectors visited farm Arabi yesterday to harvest ticks from sheep and cattle to try and determine how Andries had contracted the disease.

The couple's two children are also being closely monitored. Congo Fever's symptoms resembles that of flu, but one remains sick for longer and usually also start bleeding. The disease is spread to humans through tick bites or contact with infected carcasses.

Dr Jack Vries, chairperson of the Ministry of Health and Social Services' National Health Emergency Management Committee, yesterday said the health ministry remains on full alert. The ministry has been monitoring the situation on the farm since Friday.

Earlier Vries said that this was the first case of Congo Fever reported in the country for the past eight years. Mrs Hoffman earlier had a lot of praise for the people of the Aroab community as well as the personnel of Ward K of the ICU in the Bloemfontein Medi-Clinic for their support.