MOKOPANE – Dr Vernon Els said that he already diagnosed 15 cases of swine flu during the month of July. “People should rather see the doctor and make sure that they receive the correct treatment before the virus spread further.”
Dr Neels Van Heerden said: “The National Institute for Transmittable Diseases (NITD), have a specific programme for monitoring and controlling seasonal flu. According to NITD the strain referred to now as ‘swine flu’, that emerged in 2009, is part of the seasonal flu strains that have been in circulation.
Dr Van Heerden said: “Patients with the strain should not be treated differently than any other seasonal flu. It is also not a reportable disease as required in an epidemic.”
According to NITD, the relevant strain A (H1N1) pdm09, which is the correct name, is now in circulation with other strains.
A (H1N1) pdm09 is a strain that can not exist on its own. This is not a new strain that will cause red lights to flash, and what experts will call an antigenic jump.
This is when there is a large recombination of the genes of the virus and people will have little or no immunity to it.
According to NITD does 11 800 people die in South Africa, annually to seasonal flu and their complications. Most deaths are children under five years and pregnant women, the elderly and people with HIV.
Annually, approximately 48 000 people in South Africa contracted seasonal flu and approximately 25 500 landed in the hospital.
Dr Van Heerden says taking care by getting vaccinated against flu every year and by doing so you build system-based immunity against many virus stems.
“When you do get flu, it is in a much lighter form.”
According to Dr Adriaan Briel if you experience the following symptoms to immediately make an appointment to see a dr: Fever, a cough, muscle pain and tired feeling, a sore throat, headache, a shortness of breath and gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.
redaksie.bosvelder@nmgroup.co.za
