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Tamiflu distributed in S Leone
2009-08-15 09:18
Freetown - Health authorities in Sierra Leone have begun distribution of a huge consignment of Tamiflu after a scare that the first case of swine flu had been discovered in the west African state, health officials said on Friday.
According to the Director of Disease Surveillance and Control, Dr Allieu Wurie, "what we have got is a confirmation of H3N2 which is quite different from the swine flu disease".
He told correspondents, "we are distributing the drugs however as they can also be used for the treatment of the flu".
"This is a human-to-human transmission and has nothing to do with swine or bird flu. The last time it was reported as a pandemic was in 2003 and 2004 and it was mainly in Europe and the Americas."
He gave the symptoms as high fever, running nose, cough and generalised muscular pains as well as difficulty in breathing but treatable.
The health officer recalled that "about two weeks ago, we noticed an upsurge of flu in the country and this alerted us to undertake some investigations during which we discovered the H3N2 after laboratory test on a patient".
"We are on active surveillance to detect or pick out any suspected case of swine flu," he concluded
Tamiflu distributed in S Leone
2009-08-15 09:18
Freetown - Health authorities in Sierra Leone have begun distribution of a huge consignment of Tamiflu after a scare that the first case of swine flu had been discovered in the west African state, health officials said on Friday.
According to the Director of Disease Surveillance and Control, Dr Allieu Wurie, "what we have got is a confirmation of H3N2 which is quite different from the swine flu disease".
He told correspondents, "we are distributing the drugs however as they can also be used for the treatment of the flu".
"This is a human-to-human transmission and has nothing to do with swine or bird flu. The last time it was reported as a pandemic was in 2003 and 2004 and it was mainly in Europe and the Americas."
He gave the symptoms as high fever, running nose, cough and generalised muscular pains as well as difficulty in breathing but treatable.
The health officer recalled that "about two weeks ago, we noticed an upsurge of flu in the country and this alerted us to undertake some investigations during which we discovered the H3N2 after laboratory test on a patient".
"We are on active surveillance to detect or pick out any suspected case of swine flu," he concluded
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