Swine flu closes schools

BARELY two months after swine flu was declared an ordinary seasonal strain of flu, schools in Windhoek and the Omusati Region closed as hundreds of children and teachers were diagnosed with the H1N1 virus.

Before official confirmations were received from health authorities on the matter, The Namibian could confirm that the virus was responsible for the closure of the school for the Visually Impaired in Windhoek in late October 2010, after 65 children and 4 teachers were diagnosed with the illness in five days.Health officials immediately put the school, plus neighbouring schools, under the supervision of a team of doctors and the ill pupils and children were ordered to keep themselves isolated as much as possible.At the same time, it was confirmed that nine pupils had tested positive for swine flu at a school in the Omusati Region. Dr Richard Kamwi, Minister of Health and Social Services, confirmed the reports soon afterwards, and said that at least 100 pupils tested positive in Windhoek and the Omusati region. Rapid-response teams were sent to investigate in the Khomas Region as well as in Omusati, to gauge if any other outbreaks were taking place. Kamwi told Namibians that the announcement by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in August was ‘related to the fact that there is and remains the possibility that Influenza H1N1 of 2009 may mutate or change into a more virulent virus causing more severe disease and more deaths’.However, tests in October confirmed that the local H1N1 outbreak was the same as the 2009 strain. Kamwi said the severity of the outbreak was ‘comparable to our annual seasonal flu and has no higher fatality at all’. He added that the H1N1 virus will ‘continue to circulate as a seasonal flu virus for many years to come’.A number of cases continued to pop up across the country after the outbreak in Windhoek and Omusati, but fears that the disease was dangerous was put to rest. ‘Mild cases should receive supportive treatment like any seasonal flu,’ Kamwi said.