POTCHEFSTROOM, SOUTH AFRICA - 23 January 2008, Austin Smith during the Five Nations Mens Hockey tournament match between South Africa and Germany held at the North West University hockey centre in Potchefstroom, South Africa. Photo by Duif du Toit / Gallo Images POTCHEFSTROOM, SOUTH AFRICA - 23 January 2008, Austin Smith during the Five Nations Mens Hockey tournament match between South Africa and Germany held at the North West University hockey centre in Potchefstroom, South Africa. Photo by Duif du Toit / Gallo Images
Cape Town – Two top South African hockey players taking part in the World League tournament in Johor, Malaysia were moved to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday for medical treatment, after contracting a dangerous tropical disease.
National men’s hockey team captain Austin Smith and midfielder Jonty Robinson are receiving treatment for dengue fever, a mosquito-borne virus.
Smith and Robinson were both absent from the team that lost 6-2 to Pakistan as South Africa’s hopes of finishing seventh at the World League tournament slipped away.
A source close to the team told the Cape Argus by phone that the pair’s condition was “okay”, but they were being moved to the capital nevertheless.
Wikipedia describes dengue fever, also known as “breakbone fever”, as an infectious tropical disease with symptoms of fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash similar to measles.
“In a small proportion of cases the disease develops into the life-threatening dengue hemorrhagic fever, resulting in bleeding, low levels of blood platelets and blood plasma leakage, or into dengue shock syndrome, where dangerously low blood pressure occurs,” the site read.
Smith missed the team’s last three games,which were played over four days of intense heat and humidity, and Robinson the last two.– Cape Argus