Africa

Date: Thu 4 Jun 2009
Source: Panapress [edited]
<http://www.panapress.com/freenews.asp?code=eng017233&dte=04/06/2009>


The World Health Organization (WHO) is currently investigating 8
patients in 6 African countries for the [A (H1N1)] swine flu virus but
insists there are no laboratory confirmed cases in the continent [One
case has since been confirmed in Egypt; see case count posted 5 Jun
2009. - Mod.JW].

According to information obtained exclusively by PANA here Thursday [4
Jun 2009], the patients being investigated as of 3 Jun 2009 include
one each from Namibia, Cape Verde, Eritrea, Gambia and South Africa as
well as 3 from Congo Democratic Republic.

Meanwhile, the WHO has continued to consider raising the pandemic
level to phase 6 due to the growing spread of the virus, PANA has
learned.

Phase 6, the WHO's highest pandemic alert system, described as a
global pandemic, is the stage that the global community has long
feared due to its implication: possible economic disaster.

The designation may not necessarily reflect the severity of the
disease but [only] its spread.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>

[Information on cases and spread of A (H1N1) influenza virus in Africa
has been scanty. ProMED would appreciate receiving additional reports
as information becomes available.

A map showing the location of the African countries mentioned above
can be accessed at
<http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/africaa.htm>.
A HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Africa can be accessed at
<http://healthmap.org/promed/en?v=-0.8,15.2,5>.