Kenya - H1N1 - Cases confirmed - 15

[Gert van der Hoek]

Translation: Italian » English

29-06-09

NEW INFLUENZA: THE FIRST CASE IN KENYA

(ASCA-AFP) - Nairobi, 29 Jun - Kenya has recorded its first case of new influences. This was announced by the Ministry of Health in a press release.

The African continent is not 'been for the time being very impressed by the spread of the A/H1N1 virus: in addition to Kenya, have been confirmed cases in Egypt, South Africa, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Ivory Coast and Morocco.

http://www.asca.it/news-NUOVA_INFLUENZA__PRIMO_CASO_IN_KENYA-841823-ATT-.html

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Kenya - H1N1 - First case confirmed

Kenya confirms first Swine Flu case

BY ROB JILLO

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 29 - Kenya on Monday confirmed the first case of Swine Flu.

Public Health Minister Beth Mugo was due to give full details of the patient but sources say this is a new case separate from the one reported on Saturday.

?The Minister of Public Health and Sanitation Beth Mugo will today (Monday) address a press conference on a confirmed case of AH1N1 flu in the country at Afya House at 11.30,? a dispatch from the ministry?s Public Relations Officer said.

On Saturday a suspected case of Swine Flu in Kenya tested negative after momentarily spreading panic across Nairobi.

Ministry of Public Health officials said tests conducted at the Kenya Medical Research Institute ? based Centre for Disease Control produced no traces of the H1N1 influenza virus.

Samples were taken from a female traveller who had arrived in Nairobi from the US on Friday and complained of sickness.

She was rushed to the AAR Health Clinic at Sarit Centre, Westlands where doctors noticed that her symptoms were similar to those of the Swine Flu.

AAR Public Relations Officer Juliet Ratemo says they immediately alerted KEMRI officials who took over the case.

?We closed the AAR Health Centre and took all measures to ensure that our staff and other patients present did not come into further unprotected contact with the patient,? Ms Ratemo told Capital News.

News about the patient had spread across Nairobi via SMS overnight on Friday, spreading panic as people sought to know the authenticity of the text messages.

In mid this month, the World Health Organisation (WHO) raised the Pandemic alert status from phase 5 to phase 6, which meant that the disease had reached the emergency level.

?It?s not killing more people, it?s not more aggressive than before so don?t think because we have elevated the phase to 6 the disease has become more severe, no! It is about geographical spread. We have been expecting the worst, we are lucky it?s not that bad,? Dr David Okello, WHO Kenya Director had said.

After the alert was raised, Public Health Minister Beth Mugo said the government had stepped up surveillance of the influenza H1N1 and over 50,000 doses of the drug Tamiflu was in the stock pile for use in case of an outbreak in the country.

She had also said there was a ready isolation facility at the Kenyatta National Hospital in case of an outbreak.

http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/Local/Kenya-confirms-first-Swine-Flu-case.html

[hornblower]

Re: Kenya - H1N1 - First case confirmed

http://allafrica.com/stories/200906300738.html

Kenya: Govt Urges Calm Over Flu Case
29 June 2009


Nairobi ? A British medical student on Sunday became the first person to test positive for the deadly swine flu virus in Kenya.

Doctors and health authorities said the case is not severe and he is not in any immediate danger.

They also said the strain he has is "mild" and, apart from children under the age of two, the elderly and those with chronic illnesses, a healthy person who becomes infected need not even be hospitalised.

The student is in a group of 35 from the University of Nottingham College of Medicine in the UK, and came to Kenya a week ago for a field trip to the KEMRI-CDC laboratory in Kisumu.

Doctors were on Monday protecting his identity, but it was established that he arrived via the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on June 2, and later travelled 350 kilometres by bus to Kisumu. He is currently being isolated at the Duke of Breeze Hotel in Kisumu's Ogada Street.

The 20-year-old student's girlfriend back in the UK fell ill four days before he did. When the student started feeling unwell on Saturday, he went to hospital.

The University of Nottingham is hard hit by swine flu with 13 students confirmed to have the bug, according to the Nottingham Evening Post.

The area where the university is located, East Midlands, is seriously affected, with 14 cases confirmed in a single day last week bringing the total cases in that region to 63.

Many more are suspected to have it but the authorities were treating but not testing every patient.

"If we have a student from Nottingham with flu-like symptoms, we call that a probable case," the newspaper quoted Dr Richard Slack of the Health Protection Agency (HPA) saying.

In Nairobi, British High Commission spokesperson Charley Williams said: "The student realised that he had some flu-like symptoms on Saturday and immediately sought medical assistance".

Doctors said the patient's illness is mild and that he does not need to be hospitalised. He is, however, being closely monitored by doctors along with the rest of the group, all whom have tested negative for the virus.

Doctors said more cases are expected in Kenya because the student came into contact with many people before he was diagnosed and isolated.

The latest swine flu outbreak, which started in Mexico two months ago, has already infected 70,893 people in 112 countries. Described as a pandemic three weeks ago, the disease has killed 311 people, according to the latest information from the World Health Organisation.

The statistics do not include the Kenyan case. Other countries in Africa, such as South Africa and Egypt, have reported cases. In Britain 4,000 have tested positive for the flu virus, as have 29,000 in the US.

The group of British students was to stay in Kenya for two weeks, Ms Williams said. It's unclear when the medical authorities will allow them to leave.

"They should stay where they are to avoid putting the public at risk," she said.

On Monday Nyanza Provincial director of public health Dr Jackson Kioko said: "We confirmed the case yesterday (Sunday). It is a mild form of the influenza. It is not as severe as the cases in Mexico and the USA."

The patient was not seriously ill, he said, and was "was up and about".

Doctors have been flown from Nairobi to help their Kisumu colleagues monitor and manage the case.

Medical authorities are now working backwards to determine the places the student visited and the people he may have interacted with.

Kenyan health officials joined the quest for answers.

"We have embarked on tracing any contacts that the student has made in Kenya. If any of the contacts exhibit flu like symptoms, they will be tested and if found positive they will be appropriately managed," said minister of Public Health and Sanitation Beth Mugo at a press conference on Monday.

Swine flu is caused by a virus called H1N1. WHO declared swine flu a pandemic after 141 deaths and 27,737 cases were reported in 74 countries.

Mrs Mugo said confirmation of the virus was made by the Kenya Medical Research Institute and National Influenza Centre laboratories after the student was examined in Kisumu.

"His samples were taken at a local facility before they were flown to Nairobi for testing on Sunday," Mrs Mugo said.

Swine flu, like most other influenza viruses, has a short incubation period. The time between infection and the onset of symptoms is about two days, but could be as many as four. This is the most dangerous stage, because patients are most likely to transmit the disease without knowing they have it.

The British student reported symptoms two days after arriving in Kenya. Mrs Mugo said the group will be under observation for up to five days.

"Swine flu is a relatively mild illness, and therefore there should be no cause for panic. In a majority of cases, the disease does not require hospitalisation and it's most likely that there will be more cases of H1N1 in Kenya," she said.

A statement on the website of the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said the flu has not been found to be any more severe than ordinary seasonal flu. However, just like any other flu, it is most dangerous to children below age two, old people and those with chronic illnesses.

Since early this year, global health authorities had upped screening for swine flu, with tests carried out on people coming from the most affected countries including Mexico, the epicentre of the pandemic, the US, Canada and Mexico. The UK has had more than 4,000 cases confirmed and more than 29,000 in the United States.

However, several people who have passed through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport recently say they have not seen any evidence of such surveillance.

"I passed the airport about a two weeks ago, and there was no evidence of any medical screening going on unlike in Entebbe Uganda where there is a well defined swine flu surveillance desk and personnel in masks and medical apparels," said Rachel Jones, a media consultant from the US.

At a meeting in Kenyatta National Hospital late last evening, the management discussed among other things whether to distribute masks at the hospital, but worried this could cause panic.

On Monday, Mrs Mugo said the government has more than 50,000 doses of Tamiflu, which is used to treat the disease.


"Patients with flu-like illness should seek medical care especially those with other chronic diseases," she said. "As of now, the most effective preventive measures are good hygiene practices which should include frequent washing of hands with soap, covering mouth and nose with disposable tissue, avoiding touching of eyes, nose and mouth."

The minister urged all health workers and members of the public to remain vigilant and provide any information about suspected cases on the following telephone numbers: National Surveillance Unit 0722 331 548; 020 204 0542 and 2718292 e-mail dcdc@health.go.ke or idsr@health.go.ke; NIC-Kemri laboratory: 0736 155 251; 0733 616 602 and 0722 675 335 or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport 0721 562 511.

Reported by Walter Menya, Gatonye Gathura and Mike Mwaniki

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Kenya - H1N1 - Cases confirmed - 15

Kenya's swine flu cases now at 15


By MIKE MWANIKIPosted Monday, July 6 2009 at 15:44
IN SUMMARY

H1N1 virus is notifiable to WHO, hence Kenya must notify the world body of any new development.

Minister says majority of the cases involved people of British origin.
Kenya now has most swine flu cases in Africa after South Africa (18 cases)

The number of people confirmed to have been infected from swine flu has now risen to 15.

Although Public Health and Sanitation minister Beth Mugo Monday said the confirmed cases stood at six, the latest update from the World Health Organisation says the number now stands at 15.

Speaking in Nairobi, Mrs Mugo said three cases had been confirmed in Kisumu, two others in Nairobi while one case had occurred in Garissa.

The presence of H1N1 virus is notifiable to WHO, hence Kenya must inform the world body of any new development.

On Monday, Mrs Mugo said a majority of the cases involved people of British origin.

?Among the cases of influenza A H1N1 we have confirmed, one is of another British student who was in a group of four others who are in the country for field attachment...

?The other cases involve a young girl who is a UK citizen of Somali origin who had travelled to Garissa from Britain with her immediate family to visit their relatives. They are in Garissa and a total of 30 people mainly relatives are in quarantine awaiting results of their tests for the flu which will be expected to be released today,?.

Kenya, with 15 cases, now joins South Africa (18) in the league of countries with the highest number of confirmed swine flu cases on the continent.

The first confirmed case involved a British student who arrived in the country last week in the company of 33 others.

The students, who were on field attachment, later travelled by bus on arrival from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

On Sunday, six of the students left discretely after they were ferried in small groups from Kisumu to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, to avoid suspicion from fellow travellers.

The six, all female, checked into the airport at 8am and departed shortly before midday.

On Monday, Mrs Mugo confirmed that the rest of the students left the country at 11am.

Meanwhile, the Nottingham University students will find a dramatically changed landscape when they get home as the Nottingham area has been declared a flu hotspot and the country has moved from trying to contain it to treatment.

This means the disease has moved from the phase where it can be contained to a level where treatment is the only option.

Despite the increase in the number of people infected by the H1N1 virus, Mrs Mugo urged Kenyans not to panic over the disease.

?At the same time, I would like to urge people to uphold high standards of hygiene like frequent washing of hands with soap, covering mouth and nose with disposable tissue when coughing or sneezing and avoiding touching of eyes, nose and mouth,? the minister said.

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/619884/-/item/1/-/4t3iftz/-/index.html

[prepdeb]

Re: Kenya - H1N1 - Cases confirmed - 15

A/H1N1 flu lands in Kenya, stirring panic
2009-07-10 07:35:22 GMT2009-07-10 15:35:22 (Beijing Time) Xinhua English By Martin Shardow

NAIROBI, July 10 (Xinhua) -- The Thirty-four young guests from Britain are not ordinary visitors at the Duke of Breeze hotel in Kisumu and in fact they can't just park and leave.

They will not leave the hotel until a quarantine imposed on them is lifted by the Ministry of Health because some of them are suffering from the contagious A/H1N1 flu. At least one has tested positive so far.

This is the shook that Kenyans woke up to after the first case of swine flu was reported among this student from Britain and this is the tenth case to be reported in the continent since the first was reported in Egypt.

The outbreak of the A/ H1N1 influenza has drawn major global attention, owing to its rapid spread and high initial mortality rates. In response to the ongoing community level outbreak in various regions and the emergence of a global pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared it a pandemic

The good thing is medical experts generally consider this flu'a relatively mild illness' and at the same time Kenya's Public Health Minister Beth Mugo during a press conference in her office assured the shocked Kenyans the government has the capacity to deal with it.

The 34 students arrived in the country for a two-week charity trip, where they visited Kenyan schools in Kisumu and Nyando Districts.

The neighboring Uganda has also report the first case of the flu just two days after Kenya did so. The victim is said to have travelled from Britain via Nairobi.

The spread of the A/H1N1 flu could not have come at a worse time, said a virus expert Dr. Henderson Irimu who has warned the spread of the flu could move faster during prevailing cold season.

The chief medical specialist in charge of respiratory and infectious diseases at the Kenyatta National Hospital advised Kenyans to keep social distances, avoid crowded places where possible, and observe specific hygiene etiquettes.

Since it was first detected in late April in Mexico and the United States, the A/H1N1 flu has reached 74 countries, infecting nearly 29,000 people. Most who catch the bug have only mild symptoms and don't need medical treatment.

Wilkista Ouma, a parent who happens to have a son in one of the schools visited by the British young guests, told Xinhua that she was praying her son.

But Ruth Awour saw it in a different perspective and consoled other parents whose children were visited by the party with this message "Is there anybody in East Africa who has died of the flu? It is only AIDS and other diseases that kill not a flu."

This view is supported by many Kenyans who are of the views that flu comes and goes without taking any form of medicines but with this still in mind, people have been sighted wearing masks in public places.

Public Health Director Dr. Shahmaaz Shariff said more people are likely to test positive due to the nature of the disease.

Dr Shariff advised that in areas with confirmed human cases of the A/H1N1 virus infection, the risk for infection can be reduced through a combination of actions.

"No single action can provide complete protection, but an approach combining the following steps can help decrease the likelihood of transmission. These actions include frequent hand washing, covering coughs, and having ill persons stay home except to seek medical care, and minimize contact with others in the household." Dr Shariff said.

Dr Shariff said "Additional measures that can limit transmission of a new influenza strain include voluntary home quarantine of members of households with confirmed or probable A/H1N1 cases, reduction of unnecessary social contacts, and avoiding whenever possible of crowded settings."

http://english.sina.com/life/2009/0710/254804.html