H1N1: Cemeteries must prepare
2009-07-31 14:19
Special Report
Once a total of 100 cases of swine flu have been confirmed in South Africa, authorities will stop the individual laboratory confirmation of cases, the Department of Health says.
Find out all you need to know about H1N1 or Swine Flu from the team at Health24.
Brussels - Cities and towns in Belgium have been asked to prepare their cemeteries for an expected rise in deaths due to H1N1 flu, a regional official said on Friday, a day after the first fatality was recorded.
"Without wanting to cause any alarm, it is our duty to prepare for the worst," an official with the crisis centre in the Walloon regional government told AFP, adding that he hoped "this scenario doesn't arise".
"We have asked the municipalities to dig graves in advance, to avoid any problems that might be posed by frost in the winter," he said.
"We must avoid any painful, unforeseen problems for the families," he added.
On Thursday, a 34-year-old woman became the first Belgian to die due to the effects of the A(H1N1) virus, contracting a double pneumonia sparked by the potentially deadly illness.
More than 800 people have been killed around the globe by the A(H1N1) virus, which first surfaced in Mexico in April, and the World Health Organisation has warned that the pandemic is now unstoppable.
Deaths have now been recorded in five European nations: Belgium, Britain, France, Hungary and Spain.
Recent statistics show that some 700 cases have surfaced in Belgium since April 27, with 600 of them discovered in the last two-and-a-half weeks.
- AFP