:Man dies after contracting bilharzia at Pretoria dam

This topic is empty.

Viewing 1 post (of 1 total)

Author

Posts
2024-05-18 at 15:35 #449915

Nat Quinn
Keymaster

A man has died after contracting bilharzia at a Pretoria dam in February this year.

The family of Sean Kyle will always remember him for his gentle heart and positive outlook on life.

24-year-old Sean Kyle died in hospital on Tuesday morning after allegedly contracting Bilharzia at the Anglers Friend Dam just outside Pretoria in February.

According to his sister Chené Venter, he camped at the dam over the weekend of Valentine’s Day.

“They were camping there for the weekend, and just before they wanted to go home, Sean’s fishing line got stuck in something in the water and that’s why Sean then went into the water, to try and get his fishing line out.

“It was then stuck in a log in the water and it was full of corners and anchors and stuff like that, he scored and took it home.”

Sean began to feel pain in his body four days later.

“So two weeks after he started getting pain then he got a rash like that on his left shoulder and on his back, it indicated exactly where the bilharzia affected him.”

Sean went to many doctors for examinations and tests and eventually admitted to a hospital in Bloemfontein.

His family has since requested a post-mortem to get answers.

Chené says they firmly believe that Sean would still be alive if the doctors and medical staff had acted faster and started treating him immediately for bilharzia.

“He went to the doctor three times, each time he was just given antibiotics and sent home. Sean was in an awful lot of pain, so bad that he screamed at times. He also stopped eating.”

The family took him to a government hospital in Pretoria where he was reportedly examined hours later.

Also read: BMW driver involved in collision with deputy principal and daughter dies in hospital

“The doctor suspected it might be bilharzia but told them to wait for the results. They told him to go back nine days later for the results.”

She added that doctors suspected that Sean, had Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) (Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome) among members. This is a condition that has similar symptoms to bilharzia.

This syndrome is rare and only occurs in daily long-term users of marijuana.

“We could believe it because Sean smoked marijuana every night before he went to bed. It made him sleep better.”

In the nine days, Sean’s condition worsened.

He went back to the hospital nine days later where, after an entire day of sitting in lines waiting by 21:00, Sean was informed that the doctors did not know where his blood results were.

“The family member he was staying at then sent him to casualties for a few days and then they took a few proper tubes of blood there and they gave him pain medication and told him to come back about nine days later for the results. Nine days later, they also lost the blood results.”

The family decided it would be best for Sean to stay with his brother in Bloemfontein and hopefully get better medical attention from the state hospitals.

At a Bloemfontein state hospital, it was determined by means of a test that Sean had bilharzia.

Chené says according to a doctor, Sean’s organs caused a lot of damage, specifically his kidneys.

“They said that he would never be able to have a normal life again and would always be dependent on doctors.”

Despite the treatment against bilharzia, Sean died in hospital around 4:35 a.m. Tuesday morning.

“Seanie really had so much life in him. He wasn’t shy at all, could walk into a place and make everyone feel like he was their best friend, but he meant it.”

She says Sean had a soft heart and a positive person.

“He was already a father, not because even though he didn’t have children, he mastered all the dad-jokes.

“He’s been someone you’ll want with throughout your life, and now that we’re not going to get that chance, he’s someone you’ll always carry with you in your heart and be a better person because of it.”

His funeral arrangements are still being finalized.

The owner of the pond in question, Dries Kemp, was shocked to hear of Sean.

Kemp’s the possibility is that there is bilharzia in the pond but that this is the first case they have knowledge of.

He passed on his condolences to the family.

According to Health-E News, bilharzia can affect various parts of the body such as the lungs and brain and although it is not immediately fatal, complications can persist long term.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), bilharzia is one of the two most neglected tropical diseases, both acute and chronic.

Symptoms appear as the body reacts to the presence of the parasite and this is especially dangerous as it can damage internal organs.

In children, this can lead to decreased growth and problems with cognitive development.

Here are the symptoms of bilharzia:

After contact with freshwater bodies such as ponds, a rash or itchy skin (swimmer’s itch) may occur. It usually settles spontaneously.

Within another month or two, a person infected may experience fatigue, fever, chills, cough, muscle aches, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dysentery, and blood in the urine.

This phase coincides with the ripening of the worms in the body.

source:Man dies after contracting bilharzia at Pretoria dam – Volkskrag News
Author

Posts

Viewing 1 post (of 1 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

A man has died after contracting bilharzia at a Pretoria dam in February this year.

The family of Sean Kyle will always remember him for his gentle heart and positive outlook on life.

24-year-old Sean Kyle died in hospital on Tuesday morning after allegedly contracting Bilharzia at the Anglers Friend Dam just outside Pretoria in February.

According to his sister Chené Venter, he camped at the dam over the weekend of Valentine’s Day.

“They were camping there for the weekend, and just before they wanted to go home, Sean’s fishing line got stuck in something in the water and that’s why Sean then went into the water, to try and get his fishing line out.

“It was then stuck in a log in the water and it was full of corners and anchors and stuff like that, he scored and took it home.”

Sean began to feel pain in his body four days later.

“So two weeks after he started getting pain then he got a rash like that on his left shoulder and on his back, it indicated exactly where the bilharzia affected him.”

Sean went to many doctors for examinations and tests and eventually admitted to a hospital in Bloemfontein.

His family has since requested a post-mortem to get answers.

Chené says they firmly believe that Sean would still be alive if the doctors and medical staff had acted faster and started treating him immediately for bilharzia.

“He went to the doctor three times, each time he was just given antibiotics and sent home. Sean was in an awful lot of pain, so bad that he screamed at times. He also stopped eating.”

The family took him to a government hospital in Pretoria where he was reportedly examined hours later.

Also read: BMW driver involved in collision with deputy principal and daughter dies in hospital

“The doctor suspected it might be bilharzia but told them to wait for the results. They told him to go back nine days later for the results.”

She added that doctors suspected that Sean, had Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) (Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome) among members. This is a condition that has similar symptoms to bilharzia.

This syndrome is rare and only occurs in daily long-term users of marijuana.

“We could believe it because Sean smoked marijuana every night before he went to bed. It made him sleep better.”

In the nine days, Sean’s condition worsened.

He went back to the hospital nine days later where, after an entire day of sitting in lines waiting by 21:00, Sean was informed that the doctors did not know where his blood results were.

“The family member he was staying at then sent him to casualties for a few days and then they took a few proper tubes of blood there and they gave him pain medication and told him to come back about nine days later for the results. Nine days later, they also lost the blood results.”

The family decided it would be best for Sean to stay with his brother in Bloemfontein and hopefully get better medical attention from the state hospitals.

At a Bloemfontein state hospital, it was determined by means of a test that Sean had bilharzia.

Chené says according to a doctor, Sean’s organs caused a lot of damage, specifically his kidneys.

“They said that he would never be able to have a normal life again and would always be dependent on doctors.”

Despite the treatment against bilharzia, Sean died in hospital around 4:35 a.m. Tuesday morning.

“Seanie really had so much life in him. He wasn’t shy at all, could walk into a place and make everyone feel like he was their best friend, but he meant it.”

She says Sean had a soft heart and a positive person.

“He was already a father, not because even though he didn’t have children, he mastered all the dad-jokes.

“He’s been someone you’ll want with throughout your life, and now that we’re not going to get that chance, he’s someone you’ll always carry with you in your heart and be a better person because of it.”

His funeral arrangements are still being finalized.

The owner of the pond in question, Dries Kemp, was shocked to hear of Sean.

Kemp’s the possibility is that there is bilharzia in the pond but that this is the first case they have knowledge of.

He passed on his condolences to the family.

According to Health-E News, bilharzia can affect various parts of the body such as the lungs and brain and although it is not immediately fatal, complications can persist long term.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), bilharzia is one of the two most neglected tropical diseases, both acute and chronic.

Symptoms appear as the body reacts to the presence of the parasite and this is especially dangerous as it can damage internal organs.

In children, this can lead to decreased growth and problems with cognitive development.

Here are the symptoms of bilharzia:

After contact with freshwater bodies such as ponds, a rash or itchy skin (swimmer’s itch) may occur. It usually settles spontaneously.

Within another month or two, a person infected may experience fatigue, fever, chills, cough, muscle aches, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dysentery, and blood in the urine.

This phase coincides with the ripening of the worms in the body.