47 H1N1 flu cases in SA

2009-07-08 22:14

Johannesburg - The number of H1N1 flu cases reported in South Africa has gone up to 47, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Wednesday.

The increase, from 30 on Monday, was not a cause for panic as all those identified and tested only showed mild symptoms of the influenza A H1N1, commonly known as swine flu, deputy director Lucille Blumberg said.

"Most of the cases are travellers arriving in the country and those who attended a sporting event at the University of Johannesburg."

Some students who were members of a squash team that recently played at the University of Johannesburg and those who lived in the same residence and their contacts accounted for most of the new cases.

The first H1N1 flu case was recorded in South Africa in mid-June when a 12-year-old boy arrived in the country from the USA.

H1N1 death toll at 263

Emphasising that the rise in the number of cases did not indicate any danger to the South African public, Blumberg said NICD would only look at the first 100 cases and concentrate on those with severe illnesses if there were any at that time.

"We do not yet have the community transmission as in other countries, but we can expect more mild cases, as it appears we will be having a second flu season."

Figures released by the World Health Organisation at the end of June indicated that H1N1 flu had infected 59 814 people in 113 countries across the globe and killed 263 people.

But Blumberg said: "Some of the people who died in the other countries were those who had underlying illnesses."

The department of health was not immediately available to comment.
 

- SAPA