Elmien Fourie died on Monday after relapse
Miena, as Ms Fourie was affectionately called, died before being operated on.
HIGHVELD – Ms Elmien Fourie (20), the young Limpopo woman who was diagnosed in the Evander Hospital with cerebral malaria on New Year’s Eve, died on 29 January.
The Ridge Times reported on 2 January that Ms Fourie and her father, Manie, were both being treated for malaria. He was diagnosed on 1 January. At the time both were being transferred to Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in Johannesburg where Ms Fourie underwent dialysis and was kept in an induced coma.
https://www.citizen.co.za/ridge-times/105768/young-malaria-patient-now-in-joburg-gen/
Just when it seemed that the young student was on the mend from malaria, she suffered relapses related to a clot of bacterial infection that was lodged in her heart. An urgent heart operation was needed to save her life before the bacteria entered into her bloodstream and spread to her brain.
The doctors waited that Ms Fourie gained more strength and scheduled the heart operation for Monday. She received large doses of antibiotics and several units of blood in preparation for the operation.
Miena, as Ms Fourie was affectionately called, died before being operated on. According to the Facebook page “Elmien Fourie Hulpfonds”, she suffered a brain haemorrhage during the night due to the bacteria in her bloodstream.
