pablomorgan
Well-known member
Ethiopia - Some 12 suspected cases of swine flu are under in vestigation in Africa, though there is no confirmed case in the continent so far, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said here Thursday.
?Currently we are expecting the results of five of the cases under close investigation,? Dr. Luis Gomez Sambo, WHO Regional Director for Africa, told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting of African Ministers of Health in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
One of the five suspects is from Benin, while the remaining four are from Seychelles. There are also suspected cases in Kenya and Uganda, while the suspected cases in South Africa have proved negative to the H1N1 strai n of the virus.
Although African Health Ministers gathered at the Ethiopian capital to discuss public health challenges confronting the continent, as well as efforts to improve maternal, neonatal and child health - under the theme '?Unive rsal Access to Quality Health Services?, equally important was the challenge posed by the new influenza outbreak.
?Africa needs to take immediate and concrete actions to meet the emerging threat of the H1N1 and related epidemics, the cost of which will be too huge for individual member states to bear,? said Bience Gawanas, Commissioner for Social Affairs at the African Union (AU).
AU Commission Chairman Jean Ping has also urged AU member states to be alert and vigilant over any possible outbreak of the virus on the continent.
The WHO said many countries in Africa hade activated preparedness and response plans.
The organization is monitoring the outbreak and providing technical guidance to all countries, in addition to dispatching stocks of 1,000 Tamiflu vaccines to each member states to strengthen their response.
?We have also been insisting on measures particularly disease surveillance, information to the public, stockpiling of relevant medicines and human protective measures,? said Dr. Sambo.
According to the latest update from WHO Thursday, 23 countries have officially reported 2099 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection.
Out of the number, a total of 44 deaths have been reported, including 42 in Mexico and two in the US.
Addis Ababa - 07/05/2009
http://www.afriquejet.com/news/africa-news/swine-flu-suspects-in-africa-reach-12-2009050727077.html
?Currently we are expecting the results of five of the cases under close investigation,? Dr. Luis Gomez Sambo, WHO Regional Director for Africa, told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting of African Ministers of Health in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
One of the five suspects is from Benin, while the remaining four are from Seychelles. There are also suspected cases in Kenya and Uganda, while the suspected cases in South Africa have proved negative to the H1N1 strai n of the virus.
Although African Health Ministers gathered at the Ethiopian capital to discuss public health challenges confronting the continent, as well as efforts to improve maternal, neonatal and child health - under the theme '?Unive rsal Access to Quality Health Services?, equally important was the challenge posed by the new influenza outbreak.
?Africa needs to take immediate and concrete actions to meet the emerging threat of the H1N1 and related epidemics, the cost of which will be too huge for individual member states to bear,? said Bience Gawanas, Commissioner for Social Affairs at the African Union (AU).
AU Commission Chairman Jean Ping has also urged AU member states to be alert and vigilant over any possible outbreak of the virus on the continent.
The WHO said many countries in Africa hade activated preparedness and response plans.
The organization is monitoring the outbreak and providing technical guidance to all countries, in addition to dispatching stocks of 1,000 Tamiflu vaccines to each member states to strengthen their response.
?We have also been insisting on measures particularly disease surveillance, information to the public, stockpiling of relevant medicines and human protective measures,? said Dr. Sambo.
According to the latest update from WHO Thursday, 23 countries have officially reported 2099 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection.
Out of the number, a total of 44 deaths have been reported, including 42 in Mexico and two in the US.
Addis Ababa - 07/05/2009
http://www.afriquejet.com/news/africa-news/swine-flu-suspects-in-africa-reach-12-2009050727077.html