Swine flu: South African tests negative
5 May 2009
The laboratory test results on the one suspected case of swine flu in South Africa to date have come back negative.
Susan Kok, 58, who had flu-like symptoms when she returned to the Western Cape province from a month-long holiday with her husband in Mexico, had been waiting for laboratory tests to determine whether she was infected with swine flu or not.
Dr Lucille Blumberg of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases confirmed on Monday that the tests had come back negative.
"Yes, the results are back and she tested negative, she is well and there is no risk to anyone,” Blumberg told BuaNews on Monday.
Last week, a woman from Gauteng province who was also suspected of carrying swine flu after visiting Mexico also tested negative for the disease.
Although no confirmed cases of the flu have been reported in South Africa, the country's health authorities and officials at all ports of entry are ready to handle any cases of the deadly flu.
No need to panic: health minister
Speaking to Radio 702 last week, Health Minister Barbara Hogan urged South Africans not to panic, saying the country had enough stock-piled drugs available in the event of any outbreak.
"We have national and provincial response teams which are already in place," she said, adding that South Africa had experience in dealing with similar outbreaks.
Guidelines for diagnosis and treatment have been distributed to clinicians in the private sector and provincial communicable disease co-coordinators, Hogan said.
Temperature detecting devices had been activated at Lanseria airport and would soon be activated at OR Tambo International and other airports in the country, she said. Cabin crew and Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) staff had been given guidelines from the national response team on how to identify possible cases of swine flu.
"We are taking action, we have issued pamphlets for incoming people on what to do and put an advisory for people going away on how to protect themselves," she said.
Southern African countries have also put a response plan in place to deal with possible swine flu outbreaks.
Hogan said Southern African Development Community (SADC) health ministers met last Thursday, and that one of the items on the agenda was the supply of anti-viral medicine in the region.
"We have set up a technical task team and through the WHO [World Health Organisation] they are accessing additional supplies for the whole region," she said.
Quarantined in Hong Kong
Meanwhile, a Johannesburg couple have been placed in quarantine for eight days to be monitored for swine flu in Hong Kong, after a Mexican who had stayed in their hotel was confirmed to have the virus.
Faghmi and Mari Abrahams are among 300 guests and staff currenly quarantined in Metropark Hotel in Wanchai, Hong Kong.
The lock-in at the four-star hotel began on Friday after a Mexican who had stayed there became Asia's first confirmed case of human swine flu. He remained in a stable condition, officials said yesterday.
Emergency measures have been taken across the world in places where the virus has been confirmed, but only Hong Kong has isolated an entire hotel.
Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Nomfanelo Kota told BuaNews that Faghmi and Mari were the only South Africans in the hotel
Swine flu
The current H1N1 strain of swine flu is a potentially fatal respiratory disease that is believed to have originated in people working with pigs in Mexico and the US.
Swine flu cannot be caused by eating pork products. Like other forms of influenza, it is a respiratory illness spread from person to person by an infected person's viral particles being dispersed during coughing or sneezing.
Non-infected people then inhale the virus, or become infected by touching surfaces on which the virus has been deposited and then transferring it to their eyes, mouth or nose.
The symptoms are similar to human flu and include a sudden fever with a high temperature, chills, fatigue, coughing, sore throat, headaches, swollen joints etc, although swine flu victims also report vomiting and diarrhoea.
While swine flu is treatable, there is no vaccine available yet to protect against it.
Source: BuaNews
