Over 100 cases of swine flu – NICD
Of the more than 12 000 people infected during the 2009 outbreak countrywide, over 90 died.
Over 100 people have tested positive for swine flu countrywide. However, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) could not confirm how many of them were Pretorians.
The institute said this strain of H1N1, referred to as swine flu, was not as severe as the one that broke out in 2009.
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“To date, 99 percent of influenza positive samples for this season have been identified as influenza A (H1N1)pdm09. This was the strain that emerged globally in 2009,” the NICD said in a statement.
Of the more than 12 000 people infected during the 2009 outbreak countrywide, over 90 died.
In 2016, 17 cases of this influenza were detected in Pretoria with no fatalities.
This year, this strain of influenza behaved like a normal strain of seasonal flu, the institute said.
Patients should therefore be treated as with any other seasonal flu case.
Individuals most at risk of contracting the virus included pregnant women.
The institute said vaccines for the seasonal virus was available at public health facilities and pharmacies.
“Influenza vaccination, which provides protection against at least three strains of influenza each season, remains the most effective measure to prevent illness and possibly fatal outcomes.”
Vaccines should be administered early to provide protection, though it is never too late to vaccinate, the NICD said.
“A protective antibody response takes about two weeks to develop.”
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