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23 May 2023 | Story Prof Felicity Burt | Photo Supplied
Prof Felicity Burt and Prof Ali Mirazimi
Prof Felicity Burt of the UFS and Prof Ali Mirazimi of Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet have collaborated for many years on the Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus, and conceived the idea of hosting the first CCHFV Africa Conference, which allowed participants from low-resource countries in Africa to attend.
The University of the Free State (UFS), in partnership with Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet, recently hosted the first CCHFV Africa Conference, at which experts from 16 countries – including 12 African countries – discussed Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV).

The conference was held in early May in Cape Town and included attendees from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, France, Gabon, Kenya, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, Sweden, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, and the United States. 

Keynote lectures were presented by experts in the field from South Africa, Sweden, the USA, and Turkey. Representatives of the USA’s Defence Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the European Research Infrastructure on Highly Pathogenic Agents (ERINHA) also attended the meeting.

Prof Felicity Burt, an expert in arbovirology from the UFS’s Division of Virology in the Faculty of Health Sciences and the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), organised the conference in partnership with Prof Ali Mirazimi of the Karolinska Institutet, the Public Health Agency of Sweden, and the National Veterinary Institute in Sweden. Profs Burt and Mirazimi have collaborated for many years on the CCHF virus and conceived the idea to host a conference which would allow participants from low-resource countries in Africa to attend.

First of its kind

Prof Burt said the CCHFV Africa 2023 Conference was the first of its kind, and aimed to create a platform for African researchers to showcase their research while establishing contact and collaboration with colleagues to further preparedness for CCHFV outbreaks in Africa. 

“We allowed for a total of 60 participants and were delighted with the enthusiastic response,” Prof Burt said. “We had a full house. The meeting would not have been possible without the support of the DTRA, who partnered with the UFS in supporting CCHF research and bio-surveillance efforts in South Africa, the region, and the African continent.”

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus is a tick-borne zoonosis (disease which can be transmitted from animal to human) found in Africa, Asia, eastern and southern Europe, the Balkans, and the Middle East. The virus is listed as one of the priority pathogens for research and vaccine development by the World Health Organization (WHO) due to significant public health implications and the absence of effective treatment. 

“The distribution of CCHFV correlates with that of the primary vector of the virus, ticks belonging to the genus Hyalomma,” Prof Burt added. “The distribution of these ticks has, in recent years, expanded to regions where conditions are favourable for the species to establish endemnicity. Hence there is growing concern that this virus has the potential to emerge and spread to new geographic regions.”

Cases detected annually in South Africa

Humans become infected with CCHFV via tick bites or from contact with infected blood or other livestock or human tissue. Human infection is usually characterised by febrile (high-fever) illness, which can progress to a haemorrhagic state with a fatal outcome. 

Cases of CCHFV are detected annually in South Africa, with a fatality rate of approximately 24%. Although the number of cases that occur in South Africa is low, CCHFV infections are a significant public health concern due to the lack of specific treatment and risk to healthcare workers. Currently there is limited data available regarding the distribution and occurrence of cases in many other countries in Africa where the vector is known to occur. 

Oral presentations from conference participants provided substantial evidence of the virus circulating in multiple countries, with potential to cause human infections.

“The presence of this virus emphasises the urgent need to build diagnostic and surveillance capacity for CCHFV and other arboviral disease with potential to cause outbreaks throughout Africa,” Prof Burt said. 

News Archive

UV vestig hom afgelope eeu as leier op verskeie terreine
2004-05-11

Michelle O'Connor - Volksblad - 11 Mei 2004

Ondank terugslae nou 'n 'gesonde volwassene'

HOEWEL die Universiteit van die Vrystaat (UV) vanjaar sy eeufees vier en met 23 000 studente die grootste universiteit in die sentrale deel van die land is, was dié instelling se geboorte glad nie maklik nie. MICHELÉ O'CONNOR het met prof. Frederick Fourie, rektor, oor die nederige begin van dié instelling gesels.

DIE behoefte aan 'n eie universiteit in die Vrystaat het reeds in 1855, kort ná die stigting van Grey-kollege, kop uitgesteek.

Grey se manne het hulleself teen 1890 begin voorberei om die intermediêre B.A.-eksamens af te lê. Dié eksamen het hulle toegang gegee tot die tweede jaar van 'n B.A.-graad aan die destydse University of the Cape Good Hope, nou die Universiteit van Kaapstad.

"Presidente F.W. Reitz en M.T. Steyn het destyds albei die stigting van 'n universiteit hier bepleit. Die grootste rede was sodat die seuns van die Vrystaat nie weggestuur word nie.

"Dié twee se droom is op 28 Januarie 1904 bewaarheid toe ses studente hulle onder dr. Johannes Bril, as hoof/rektor van Grey-kollege, vir die graad B.A. ingeskryf het. Dié graad is aanvanklik deur die Kaapse universiteit toegeken.

"Net die klassieke tale soos Latyns en Grieks, die moderne tale, Nederlands, Duits en Engels, filosofie, geskiedenis, wiskunde, fisika, chemie, plant- en dierkunde is aanvanklik aangebied.

"Die UV se geboue het gegroei van 'n klein tweevertrek-geboutjie wat nou naby Huis Abraham Fischer staan, en verblyf in die Grey-kollege se seunskoshuis," sê Fourie.

Volgens hom is die universiteit se eerste raad en senaat tussen 1904 en 1920 saamgestel. Die eerste dosente is aangestel en die eerste geboue opgerig. "Dié tyd was egter baie moeilik.

"Die instelling het teen 1920 net 100 studente gehad en was geldelik in die knyp. Daar was geen vaste rektor nie en geen vooruitgang nie. Vrystaatse kinders is steeds na ander universiteite gestuur.

"Ds. J.D. Kestell, rektor van 1920 tot 1927, het egter dié instelling finaal gevestig.

"Hy het self studente van oor die hele Vrystaat gewerf en geld by onder meer kerke en banke ingesamel. Kestell het selfs Engelse ouers oortuig om hul kinders na die Greyuniversiteitskollege (GUK) te stuur en teen 1927 het dié instelling met 400 studente gespog.

"In die tydperk tussen 1927 en 1950 het die GUK weer verskeie terugslae beleef.

"In dié tyd was dit onder meer die Groot Depressie en die Tweede Wêreldoorlog. Die armblanke-vraagstuk het regstreeks op studente en dosente ingewerk en die politieke onderstrominge van dié tyd het die instelling ontwrig.

"Die GUK het egter oorleef en die Universiteitskollege van die Oranje-Vrystaat (UKOVS) is in 1935 gebore," sê Fourie.

Hy sê in dié tyd is verskeie fakulteite gevestig en teen 1950 het die UKOVS met 1 000 studente gespog.

Teen 1950 het dit 'n onafhanklike universiteit geword en die naam is verander na die Universiteit van die OranjeVrystaat (UOVS).

Dié tydperk is gekenmerk deur Afrikaner- en blanke selfvertroue en heerskappy. Studentegetalle het tot 7 000 in 1975 gegroei en heelwat vooruitgang het in dié tyd plaasgevind.

"Tussen 1976 en 1989 sukkel dieuniversiteit weer met onder meer ekonomiese krisisse, die land se politieke onstabiliteit en word die UOVS geï soleer.

"Een ligpunt in dié tyd is die toelating van die eerste swart studente, die nuwe Sasol-biblioteek en die fakulteit teologie wat die lig sien.

"Tussen 1990 en vanjaar het die UOVS verskeie op- en afdraandes beleef. Die universiteit doen nie net die eerste stappe van transformasie nie, maar begin ook aan 'n beleid van multikulturaliteit werk.

"Die UOVS se naam verander in 1996 na die Universiteit van die Vrystaat/University of the Free State en in 2001 word die Sotho-vertaling bygevoeg.

"Geldelike druk en probleme neem drasties toe en personeel word gerasionaliseer.

"Teen 2000 begin die UV met 'n draaistrategie en studentegetalle neem tot meer as 23 000 toe," sê Fourie.

Hy sê die UV het die afgelope eeu nie net verskeie terugslae oorleef nie, maar homself ook op verskeie gebiede as 'n leier gevestig.

Die universiteit behaal sy eie geldelike mikpunte, neem 'n nuwe taalbeleid van veeltaligheid aan en herbelê in personeel.

Die instelling inkorporeer die kampusse van die Vista- en Qwaqwa-universiteit en groei internasionaal.

Die UV vestig ook fondamente van 'n institusionele kultuur van verdraagsaamheid, geregtigheid en diversiteit.

"Die baba het in die afgelope eeu 'n gesonde volwassene geword."

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