H1N1 efforts get a boost

THE ongoing efforts to deal with the H1N1 flu virus – commonly known as ‘swine flu’ – yesterday received a N$1,1 million boost from the African Union/InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources through its Support Programme to Integrated National Action Plan on Avian and Human Influenza in Africa.

The programme’s goal is ‘to contribute to the reduction of the socio-economic impact of avian and human influenza’.The funding forms 50 per cent of monies received from the bureau recently, two years after the Ministry of Health in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture applied for financial resources to increase Namibia’s capacity to deal with avian flu (or ‘bird flu’) in 2007.Chairperson of the National Health Emergency Management Committee, Dr Jack Vries, said the funding would assist in the various activities taking place to increase the country’s ability to effectively deal with H1N1.With the summer weather taking hold, Vries also cautioned that new cases of flu would most likely be the H1N1 flu, and not the ordinary seasonal flu.’If a person presents him/herself fitting the case definition for H1N1, that person will be put onto Tamiflu,’ he said, adding that a circular to this effect would be sent to all doctors.’We will add to the Tamiflu stocks if necessary,’ Vries said, adding: ‘we don’t want patients to die.’To date, one Namibian death – that of a businessman at Oshikango – has been linked to the flu pandemic, after he was tested post-mortem.Two more cases of the flu were confirmed yesterday – at Walvis Bay and Grootfontein.Symptoms of the H1N1 flu virus include fever (38 degrees Celsius), coughing, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. In some cases, diarrhoea and vomiting may be experienced.nangula@namibian.com.na