AT LEAST three Namibians are suspected to have been infected with the deadly Rift Valley Fever (RVF).

This comes close to five months after tens of Namibian animals were infected with RVF.

It was the first outbreak of the disease in the country since 1985.

A notice about the three affected farmers was published in the weekly newsletter of the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) last Friday.

Until yesterday, however, Dr Jack Vries, chairperson of the Ministry of Health and Social Service's National Health Emergency Management Committee, had not been officially informed about the cases.

Vries told The Namibian that none of the country's two laboratories had made any positive diagnoses.

This, he said, could be as a result of patients being tested in South Africa or not being tested at all.

A Dorper sheep farmer, in the south of the country, yesterday said that he accidentally injected himself whilst he was busy immunising his sheep about three weeks ago. "I accidentally injected myself that Friday afternoon. By 19h00 [that evening], I realised there was big trouble."

According to him, he could by then not even talk anymore. Apart from this, he experienced a high fever, an increased heart beat and painful urination. "I also had terrible headaches. My urine was golden yellow, and it was painful when I urinated. And the heartbeats - it feels like your heart wants to run away."

It was only by Saturday afternoon that he could talk again, he said.

The farmer said that he decided not to go to a doctor. Instead, he spent a week in bed. A veterinarian he spoke to told him that it "must be" RVF, he said.

In its newsletter, the NAU urged farmers "to be very cautious when animals are vaccinated against RVF. If one gets pricked by the needle, the disease can be contracted through the vaccine".

The union issued this warning "following the confirmation of three farmers in the south of Namibia who were identified with the dreaded RVF".

Dr Cleopas Bamhare, acting chief veterinary officer in the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, earlier warned people to wear rubber gloves and face masks when they come into close contact with sick animals, aborted foetuses, blood and other body fluids ,especially during handling, slaughtering, butchering and milking, to avoid human infections.

Meat intended for human consumption needs to be chilled and matured at two degrees Celsius for at least 24 hours. This, he said, will inactivate the virus if it is present.

The past week, Bamhare said no new animal infections have been reported to his office.

Earlier this year, it was reported that close to a 100 animals were affected in Namibia. Half of these died.

Namibian farmers lost millions of dollars as a result of export bans that were in place when the outbreak was rife.

More than 20 humans and hundreds of animals died in neighbouring South Africa during a recent RVF outbreak there.

Bamhare also earlier warned Namibians that RVF could cause a widespread epidemic in the next raining season.

According to Vries, the man would have landed in the intensive care unit (ICU) had it been RVF. However, another doctor The Namibian spoke to said it is "definitely possible" for the farmer to have contracted the virus through the live vaccine.

The farmer confirmed that it was the live vaccine.