THE Ministry of Health and Social Services yesterday announced that five people had tested positive for the H1N1 influenza virus, also known as swine flu.
Acting health permanent secretary Petronella Masabane said in a statement that the first case of the H1N1 influenza virus was confirmed in a six-month-old baby boy on 22 June by a private health facility in Windhoek. "The index case is a six-months-old male, who was admitted and treated for a flu-like illness, and later tested positive for influenza H1N1 last week," she said.
Masabane added that four other laboratory-confirmed cases have also been reported from Rehoboth.
Masabane said in total two females and three males are currently in hospitals.
Asked how the patients are coping, Masabane said she was not at liberty to reveal the status of their conditions.
She stated that Namibia experienced a large-scale outbreak between 2009-2010, where over 8 000 cases were reported, out of which 102 cases tested positive.
"The highest burden of epidemiology-linked cases was experienced in the northern regions of Ohangwena and Omusati, as well as the //Karas region. "This has been circulating globally in the last decade, all-year-round. However, cases peak during the winter season.
This means it is expected that there will be people getting ill from this particular flu strain.
Symptoms of the flu include a fever above 38 degrees C, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, watery, red eyes, body aches, headaches, fatigue, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting.
According to the ministry, those at risk of catching the virus include children under the age of five, elderly people over the age of 65, pregnant women, immuno-compromised individuals such as people living with HIV-AIDS, as well as diabetics and TB patients. The virus can also be caused by chronic underlying medical conditions.
The ministry thus urged members of the public to get vaccinated against the influenza, and advised that people should drink plenty of water, cover their noses when sneezing, wash their hands often with soap and water, and avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth to avoid the spread of germs.
The superintendent at the Rehoboth St Mary's Hospital, Dr Daylight Manyere, told Nampa yesterday that one patient was transferred to Windhoek on Wednesday when he tested positive for the virus. Influenza H1N1 has been reclassified as a seasonal influenza virus after the 2009 pandemic.
