News headlines across the world were centered on the increasing spread of the flu, a deadly disease caused by the H1N1 Influenza virus. British Health Secretary Andy Burham revealed that the UK was slightly overwhelmed as "cases are doubling every week and we could see over 100, 000 cases per day by the end of August."
That same Thursday, Uganda confirmed its first case of the H1N1 virus from a 40-year old man newly-arrived from London, while Kenya's Health Minister announced that a visiting British student was diagnosed with the virus the previous Sunday.
Contagious Virus
Stakeholders are of the opinion that these events reiterate the pronouncement by Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's Health Secretary that: "it would be impossible to limit the spread of what is a contagious virus indefinitely."
Since the first confirmed case of the virus was reported on June 18, 2009 in South Africa, other countries in the continent to have cases of swine flu are Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Cape Verde, Mauritius and Algeria. According to media reports, Egypt has a total of 18 confirmed cases of swine flu, with two Egyptian children and a Colombian woman testing positive for the H1N1 (swine flu) virus.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported about 67, 000 cases of the virus in 112 countries, with some 300 deaths worldwide.
In Thursday's satellite broadcast, Mr. Burham told the House of Commons that efforts to trace people who had been in contact with swine flu cases would then stop and schools no longer needed to close when hit by the virus, unless particular circumstances made it necessary. It was also disclosed that the country's scientists have expressed concerns that the organism could mutate into a more virulent form.
While the UK has the advantage of "a stock-pile of anti-virals, probably the biggest in the world and vaccine at an advanced stage of production," the same cannot be said for most African nations.
A statement made available to NEXT on Sunday by Niyi Ojuolape, spokesperson of the Ministry of Health, however confirms that WHO has dispatched consignments of antiviral (Tamiflu) drugs as well as Personal Protective Equipment (PPES), to countries in the region including Nigeria, to enable rapid responses to initial cases.
The symptoms of the swine flu virus typically include fever, cough, sore throat,headache, chills, fatigue and body aches.