75 cases of H1N1 flu in SA
2009-07-13 11:47
Johannesburg - There were 75 detected cases of H1N1 flu in South Africa by on Monday, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said.
"We do have 75 detected cases," executive director of the NICD, Barry Schoub, told a media briefing in Johannesburg.
However, the Institute said H1N1 flu does not need special treatment as it took bed rest and conventional cold and flu remedies to aid recovery.
"It doesn't need anything special, it's very like the common cold," said the Institute's Lucille Blumberg.
She said people with underlying health conditions that placed them at a high risk should seek treatment from a doctor if some symptoms persisted.
These included persistent vomiting, pains in the chest and shortness of breath.
The health department's Frew Benson said underlying conditions that could place people in the higher risk category included diabetes, emphysema, serious lung conditions, and HIV/Aids.
All except two of the people who had contracted the virus in South Africa had mild symptoms. Two who had had pneumonia had recovered.
The Institute would monitor the virus until a hundred cases has been reported and then would start focusing on cases with severe symptoms.
In the meantime, NICD advocated "good old fashioned respiratory hygiene or sneezing into tissues or sleeves and reduce social contact until the symptoms has passed".
Nobody had been quarantined in South Africa.
- SAPA