‘Glimmer of hope’ in latest flu outbreak

THE flu outbreak that started in Mexico may not reach a pandemic stage as was feared earlier, Health Minister Dr Richard Kamwi said yesterday.

Kamwi was in constant contact with the World Health Organisation’s head office in Geneva, Switzerland, and locally over the long weekend. ‘There is a glimmer of hope,’ he said.On Sunday the WHO said it was likely to raise its alert for the new influenza strain to the highest level and declare a pandemic.Margaret Chan, WHO Director General told Spanish newspaper El Pais that the number of cases in people who have not been to Mexico was small but that the situation was evolving and the virus changing.’The latest is that there is a glimmer of hope. It cannot be declared a pandemic because the virus has not reached Africa and Australia. The highest level can only be reached with more new cases and deaths from yet unreported cases. Pandemic means it is global. For now it remains an epidemic,’ Kamwi said.He said Namibia remains on high alert.Kamwi said the two suspected cases reported by South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases last week tested negative.On Saturday, the WHO said people living with HIV are at high risk from the new flu strain.HIV and the new flu strain could mix together in a dangerous way, as has occurred with HIV and tuberculosis, the WHO said in guidance for health workers on its website.’Although there are inadequate data to predict the impact of a possible human influenza pandemic on HIV-affected populations, interactions between HIV-AIDS and A(H1N1) influenza could be significant,’ it said.’HIV-infected persons should be considered as a high risk and a priority population for preventive and therapeutic strategies against influenza including emerging influenza A(H1N1) virus infection,’ it said.Countries with high rates of HIV – most of which are in Africa – should work to ensure that vulnerable people get the drugs they need to fight off the flu infection, the WHO said. According to the WHO, the ‘novel flu’, as it is now being called, is a combination of pig, bird and human flu viruses.christof@namibian.com.na