The official H1N1 death toll in South Africa now stands at six following the laboratory confirmation by the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) of three deaths this weekend.
All three cases belonged in the high-risk category with the two ladies (27 year old from the Eastern Cape who also had diabetes and 23 years old from KwaZulu-Natal) who were pregnant, and the third one, a 64 year old from the Western Cape, who was diabetic and had hypertension. The total number of confirmed cases in the country since the first case in June now stands at 2 844. The majority of confirmed cases in South Africa are mild, and this continues to be a trend internationally.
Mild symptoms include runny or blocked nose, fever, muscle aches and pain, cough and such cases will not need any specialised medical care as nothing should happen to them. People such as pregnant women, people with chronic heart or lung disease, people living with HIV and AIDS and people with diabetes should seek urgent medical attention even if they have mild symptoms. People who do not belong in this high-risk category should seek urgent medical attention when they develop moderate or severe symptoms.
Moderate symptoms are defined by shortness of breath, chest pain, persistent vomiting and diarrhoea while severe symptoms are characterised by difficulty breathing (respiratory distress), blue lips (tongue or other parts of the body) and severe drowsiness or loss of consciousness. Testing for H1N1 is only done on recommendation by a doctor and it is done on specific cases like in high-risk categories or on those with moderate or severe symptoms.
Members of the public are advised to practice basic hygiene which includes regular washing of hands with water and soap, cough or sneeze into a tissue or sleeve, coughing into one's elbow instead of hands and staying at home when developing mild symptoms unless if one is in a high-risk category as outlined above.
For more information please contact:
Fidel Hadebe
Tel: 012 312 0663
Cell: 079 517 3333
Issued by: Department of Health
16 August 2009
