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The dreaded vuvuzela claims its first victim: Woman bursts her windpipe 'by blowing too hard'

By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 4:24 PM on 18th June 2010


South African football fan Yvonne Mayer who ruptured her throat blasting her vuvuzela

Insurance saleswoman Yvonne Mayer, 29, was unable to speak or eat for two days after ripping her windpipe when she blew the three foot horn during a street party in Cape Town.

The next day shocked doctors diagnosed her with a ruptured throat and ordered her to rest it completely to allow it to heal.

The bizarre injury is the first known vuvuzela-related accident since the World Cup kicked off last week.

Yvonne, from Cape Town, said: 'I had never blown a vuvuzela before but was given one at work and was going to watch the first South Africa match so thought I'd take it along.

'I was walking towards the Fan Park in Cape Town and blowing it as hard as I could when suddenly my throat started to hurt.

'At first I thought I'd gone down with a bug but the next day it was worse.

'When I went to the doctor he took a look and then laughed.

'He said I'd ruptured my throat by blowing too hard, and that perhaps I had been doing it all wrong.

'After that I was told to go home and relax the whole area.

'It meant I wasn't allowed to eat or speak at all for almost two days.

'I was starving by the time I could finally eat some soup and yogurt on Monday.'

Yvonne was given a check-up after the incident at the Medi-Cross Hospital in Cape Town's Table Bay suburb.

Specialists said an initial tear in her throat caused by air pressure had grown into a wound due to her constant blowing.

Yvonne added: 'They said it would heal by itself given time but were worried that it could get infected.


'That's why they told me not to eat or speak while it was healing.' A medical report on the injury confirmed Yvonne had ruptured her throat.

It said: 'Extensive surgical emphysema is present in the retrophayngal prevertrebal space.

'This extends from the base of the skull to the supraclavicular regions on both sides and is probably due to a traumatic rupture of the pharynx.'

Dr Scott Barker, who treated Yvonne, said: 'She simply overdid it. We had to keep a check on her for potential infection after the initial tear caused damage to soft tissue.


England fan Caylin Groenewald blows her vuvuzela with Table Mountain in the backgound

'I checked with our ear nose and throat specialist who did not seem to be worried about any long-term damage. It was the first time we'd seen anything like this.

'I would urge other fans not to go over the top while blowing, and just follow what your body tells you. If it hurts, stop.

'The worst health risk with the vuvuzela is still the high volume your ears are subjected to. The best health advice I can give for England fans is to take a pair of earplugs to the game.'

Today Yvonne warned other football fans to take care when blasting their plastic trumpets.

She said: 'This happened to me on my first time.

'I thought I was blowing it right but perhaps I was trying too hard.

'They're fantastic fun and really bring people together during the soccer, but my experience has proven they can be dangerous if underestimated.

'I don't think I'd ever blow one again, because it wasn't much fun.


A broker at the German stock exchange in Frankfurt blows a vuvuzela prior to the start of the World Cup soccer match Germany versus Serbia


A fan blows a vuvuzela before the 2010 World Cup Group C soccer match between the US and Slovenia at Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg

'Apparently they sell smaller ones these days too so perhaps I'll pick one of those up instead for the rest of the tournament.'

Her injury came as it was revealed a German fan had been diagnosed with severe tinnitus after watching his team's 4-0 over Australia.

Sven Wipperfurth, 27, of Rommerskirchen, Germany, said: 'We were watching it on TV and then suddenly someone let rip with an ear splitting blast right next to me.

'It was so loud that I passed out. When I came round I couldn't hear properly in one ear - it was just a permanent ringing.'

Now fans in Germany have been given the option by BskyB bosses to select a special filter to remove the blaring drone of vuvuzelas from their World Cup coverage.

A test by local media described the results as 'impressive'.

And internet antivuvuzelafilter.com has designed an independent filter for just 3 GBP which they claim can remove the sound of the horns from all commentary.


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Eric D. Schwerin
Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC
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eschwerin@rosemontseneca.com
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