Christof Maletsky and Nangula Shejavali
1 July 2009
HEALTH authorities have confirmed that four suspected cases of H1N1 flu virus, commonly known as 'swine flu', have been detected in Windhoek and at Tsumeb and Walvis Bay.
The lab results of all four suspected cases are being awaited.
At a meeting of the National Health Emergency Management Committee (NHEMC) yesterday, it was confirmed that the results of two of the cases are expected back today, after samples were sent to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) in South Africa for testing.
Speaking to The Namibian, Gladys Kamboo, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Social Services, confirmed the cases, stating that two were reported in Windhoek, one in Tsumeb, and one at Walvis Bay.
She said a Namibian couple returned from Germany on Thursday and their doctor reported suspected "flu-like illnesses" two days later, on Saturday. They were referred to the Roman Catholic Hospital where nasal swabs were taken from them.
The Chairperson of the NHEMC, Dr Jack Vries, yesterday told The Namibian that the results for the couple are expected today.
The third case, Kamboo said, was a Russian sailor who had arrived in the country from Mexico, and had presented himself at the Welwitschia Hospital in Walvis Bay yesterday.
The first cases of H1N1 flu were reported in Mexico, where by Monday, 8 729 confirmed cases of the flu and 116 deaths had been reported. Mexico so far has the second highest number of H1N1 cases after the United States, which has reported 27 717 cases and 127 deaths.
The fourth case in Namibia is that of a 13-year-old girl from the Oshikoto Region. "She has no history of travelling but was referred by her doctor," Kamboo said.
Vries added that the swabs were expected from Tsumeb yesterday, and would then be sent to the NICD for testing.
Kamboo also noted that although none of the cases have yet been confirmed, the level of reporting has been satisfactory.
"We are satisfied that people are reporting but all theses cases are suspected cases and we are treating them as such for now," she said.
The World Health Organisation last week urged African countries to strengthen their disease surveillance for the H1N1 flu pandemic, following confirmation of ten new cases on the continent.
South Africa currently has a total of seven confirmed H1N1 cases, after three new cases were reported over the weekend. Across the continent, around 70 cases have been confirmed, while globally, the WHO's update for Monday reported a total of 70 893 confirmed cases and 311 deaths
To date, no cases have been confirmed in Namibia, but the NHEMC has introduced several measures to deal with an outbreak should one occur.
These include a ready consignment of 20 000 units of Tamiflu - an antiviral drug used for the treatment of H1N1 - protective equipment and testing swabs that have been distributed across the country.
Medical staff countrywide have been trained on how to deal with suspected patients, and an emergency response plan has been put in place.
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