Two more Ugandans on Monday tested positive for the Influenza A (H1N1) virus, also known as swine flu – bringing the number of confirmed cases there to five, all of which were returning from abroad. In Tanzania, a British student was also confirmed to have contracted the virus last week.
Ten African countries have reported cases, but with zero deaths. Three of those countries, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, are from the east African region. There are no reported deaths within the continent.
In almost all of these cases, those confirmed to have H1N1 are travelers who contracted the disease outside of Africa.
“It is possible that someone will come to Rwanda from another country and begin to show symptoms of Influenza A, but due to the surveillance process within the country if there are cases, they can be found”, said Dr. Jackson Sebeza, of the Epidemic Infections Diseases Unit at TRAC Plus.
An outbreak of the Influenza A pandemic is being monitored in two ways in Rwanda.
First, the number of respiratory tract infections recorded in the country, which can lead to influenza viruses, is relatively the same as in previous years, said Sebeza. Those numbers indicate that there has not been an outbreak of this influenza strain.
Second, there are six sentinel-surveillance sites in the country, one in each province. Surveillance sites collect specimens from patients, which are tested for H1N1. So far, no matches have been found, the expert said.
Hospitals and surveillance sites are watching closely for unusual outbreaks of flu-like symptoms and severe pneumonia.
“Based on those two things we think we have no cases in the country,” Sebeza said. “However,” he added, “we have samples that we collected a few days ago that are not examined yet.”
People living in remote areas of the country are less likely to contract the disease because they have less contact with those who have traveled outside the region. “We are more likely to have cases in Kigali than the rest of the country because it is the city and that is where we have interactions with foreigners,” Sebeza explained.
Rwanda’s Ministry of Health said there is no cause for panic as the overall severity of the disease is moderate, with the majority of patients experiencing mild symptoms and recovering quickly.
Although not all the risk factors have been determined, it appears patients that do experience a more serious case of H1N1 have pre-existing illnesses. Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa would then be at a higher risk of having more severe cases due to the prevalence of HIV and malnutrition, said Sebeza.
In addition to the surveillance sites and testing, there are over 14,000 treatment doses of Tamiflu available through the World Health Organization (WHO). Also, Rapid Response Teams, comprised of doctors, nurses, lab technicians and surveillance officers, have been trained in hospitals throughout Rwanda.
Still, general health pre-cautions are recommended.
“Influenza is transmitted by droplets so if you have it you can contaminate me easily. The best way is to respect the hygiene principles,” Sebeza said.
People should cover their mouth or nose while coughing and sneezing, wash hands thoroughly with soap and water on a regular basis and to go to the nearest medical facility if experiencing severe flu-like symptoms.
The government advises people who are ill to delay international travel and if experiencing symptoms after traveling abroad, to get medical attention if symptoms are severe or stay at home if they are mild.
WHO raised the pandemic level from a 5 to a 6 (the peak phase) on June 28 because the spread of the virus can no longer be traced to clear instances of human to human contact and future cases are inevitable.
The UN agency said Monday that a new vaccine would be available in September of October, as it engages reluctant pharmaceuticals that are not seeing any business from the situation.
The latest cases in Uganda are the husband and son of a businesswoman who was confirmed with the virus last week. The woman, who had just returned from the UK, lives in Ugandan capital Kampala.