- News>
First probable SARS death in Africa
Johannesburg, Apr 30: Africa`s first probable SARS patient died in Pretoria, the South African government has announced, but said the death was due to cardiac arrest and not the killer virus.
Johannesburg, Apr 30: Africa's first probable SARS patient died in Pretoria, the South African government has announced, but said the death was due to cardiac arrest and not the killer virus.
"The 62-year-old man was diagnosed as a probable SARS case on the basis of the clinical symptoms he displayed and the fact that he had returned from Hong Kong shortly before falling ill," health department spokeswoman Jo-Anne Collinge said in a statement.
It said he died yesterday evening of cardiac complications, which the hospital regards as unrelated to SARS.
The man, who was initially identified as a Chinese South African, returned from Hong Kong in March. He was admitted to the Pretoria Hospital after showing classic symptoms of the virus.
Bureau Report