WINDHOEK, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Namibia's Ministry of Health and Social Services has recorded a total number of 4,227 cases of since September 2017, permanent secretary at the ministry Ben Nangombe said on Tuesday.
Currently more than seven regions have been affected by the outbreak which was first declared in December, 2017, at Windhoek, he said.
"So far none of the regions with Hepatitis E outbreak have been contained. The outbreak can be declared over if no cases are reported for the duration of 2 maximum incubation periods."
"The Virus incubation period ranges from 2 to 10 weeks therefore we need to monitor the surveillance trends for at least 20 weeks," Nangombe said.
Several region in Namibia reported isolated cases, most of which were linked by travel history to Havana and Goreangab informal settlements in Windhoek, Nangombe explained.
Since the declaration of the outbreak, 40 Hepatitis E related deaths have been recorded, out of which 17 are maternal deaths, statistics provided by the ministry indicates.
"Therefore all pregnant women are advised to seek medical attention as soon as they notice signs and systems of Hepatitis E," Nangombe said.
