19 June 2009
Cape Town — The Department of Health is under fire for its "tardy response" to the swine flu pandemic in the wake of South Africa's first case, which was reported on Thursday.
This criticism comes a week after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the outbreak a pandemic - and as foreign visitors flood into the country for the Fifa Confederations Cup soccer tournament and the tour of the British and Irish Lions rugby team.
But the department says it will not change its tactics in its fight against swine flu.
DA health spokesperson Mike Waters has criticised the department for not doing enough to prepare the country for an outbreak of the disease. He also asked why more was not done to scan incoming passengers off international flights to check for infected people.
"It is remarkable that, after we called for an immediate response from the Health Department to the initial outbreak of swine flu and warned that the government's response had been muted, there has subsequently been little in the way of further action from government," Waters said.
On Thursday a 12-year-old boy was confirmed as the country's first identified swine flu patient.
Department of Health spokesperson Fidel Hadebe said the results of laboratory tests had confirmed the disease in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The patient arrived at OR Tambo International Airport in Joburg from the US on Sunday. The boy, a US citizen, had flu-like symptoms and was admitted to a private hospital on Monday morning.
"The patient was kept in isolation and discharged after a few days in hospital. He is well and recovering in isolation at a home in Gauteng," Hadebe said.
The executive director of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), Professor Barry Schoub, said swine flu, like any other flu, was contagious.
"It's almost impossible to prevent the spread, but what we can do is limit it," he said.
Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi and representatives from the NICD were expected to attend a press conference this morning.
Hadebe said the Department of Health had been on high alert since news of the epidemic first broke and would not be introducing any new safety measures.
He said the department would continue its safety precautions, including health officers boarding aircraft where cabin crew highlighted suspected cases of swine flu. The health officers were positioned at all ports of entry.
They were also tracking all suspected cases.
Hadebe warned that people were overestimating the efficacy of thermal scanners.
A set of scanners is in place at OR Tambo Airport, but there are none at Cape Town, where international passengers also arrive in large numbers.
Waters said the government had not done enough to educate the public on how to deal with an anticipated outbreak.
"We don't want to reach that massive peak when the situation gets out of control. The best way to deal with it is to spit it out before it spreads," he said.
Waters said informing people about the importance of basic hygiene - such as using handkerchiefs, washing hands regularly hand and cleaning door handles - to reduce the spread, would not have cost the government too much.
Swine flu has infected nearly 40 000 people in 89 countries and territories, causing 167 deaths since late March, the latest WHO data showed on Thursday.
The US remains the most affected country with 17 855 cases.
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