South Africa: NICD calms H1N1 flu fears

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The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has called for calm following two deaths attributed to swine flu.

Two people have reportedly died of complications related to the H1N1 virus, SABC News reported.

The NICD's Cherly Cohen has allayed fears over virus saying that is being managed in the same way as other flu strains.

"There have been cases of confirmed influenza who have died. This is not unexpected. Every year several thousand people in South Africa will die of illnesses related to the severe complications of influenza," says Cohen.

Cohen though stressed that most deaths can be attributed to underlying conditions that the victims have such as lung or heart disease.

"It could also be elderly and young children who are at high risk but we should not be alarmed if we do see a small number of influenza deaths this year because this is expected as part of seasonal flu," she added.

http://news.iafrica.com/sa/868770.html

[Shiloh]

Re: South Africa: NICD calms H1N1 flu fears

Source: http://www.iol.co.za/scitech/science...8#.Ud8Qb1Npehc

?Thousands could die of flu this year?
July 11 2013 at 06:00pm
By LEE RONDGANGER

Durban - South Africa is in the grip of its annual influenza season and experts say that 7 million people are expected to be hit this winter.

According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), an estimated 9 500 people will die as a result of influenza during this period.

The influenza virus has already claimed the lives of several people across KwaZulu-Natal and hundreds more throughout the country.

Three members of a Chatsworth family were quarantined at two Durban hospitals for chronic influenza, a strain of what had been called swine flu ? days after a relative died from the virus.

?It feels like our whole lives were turned upside-down,? said the 42-year-old Chatsworth mother who did not want to be named as she feared being stigmatised...

[tetano]

Re: South Africa: NICD calms H1N1 flu fears

Hundreds of swine flu cases reported in South Africa


Several cases of swine flu virus have been reported in South Africa, prompting authorities to urge the public to get vaccinated.

So far, about 450 cases of swine flu, or the H1N1, have been identified in this year's outbreak.

Among them, two have died, one in Durban and the other in Pretoria, according to the Institute for Communicable Disease (ICD).

"But that is really the tip of the iceberg. The number of influenza cases we are managing to identify in our surveillance system is slightly higher than it was last year," ICD director Shabir Madhi said.

"The important thing about swine flu virus right now is that because it's been circulating in the country for the past 3 to 4 years, the majority of people are actually immunised because of natural exposure to the virus," said Dr Madhi.

H1N1 flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by Type A influenza that regularly causes outbreaks among the animals.

http://www.africareview.com/News/Hundreds-of-swine-flu-cases-reported-in-South-Africa/-/979180/1916898/-/qjk6qnz/-/index.html