Durban, July 06: Eleven fresh cases of H1N1 influenza have been reported in South Africa, taking the number of confirmed cases of swine flu to 29 in the country.
The Department of Health said in a statement today the new cases were all of university students, and National Institute of Communicable Diseases had confirmed them as ‘positive’.
Sixteen cases have been linked with university sports events held in Johannesburg region where majority of students, who were male squash players, shared the same residence.
“The patients appear to have mild illness, no complications so far and are being managed in accordance with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Department of Health guidelines,” Department of Health spokesperson, Fidel Hadebe said, adding the students were not admitted to hospitals and recovering at home.
Hadebe said the squash game participants had been alerted of the possible contact with positive cases registered on Friday.
The first case of swine flu in South Africa was confirmed on June 18, he said.
“Heightened clinical and laboratory surveillance are in place to identify any suspected case of the flu. The department will continue to maintain a high level of vigilance and preparedness,” Hadebe said.
—Agencies