FIRST H1N1 CASES CONFIRMED IN MASERU

UNCLAS MASERU 000316 DEPT FOR MED; PRETORIA FOR RMO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AMED KFLU AMGT PGOV LT SUBJECT: FIRST H1N1 CASES CONFIRMED IN MASERU ¶1. The Director of Lesotho's Disease Control Office of the Ministry of Health publicly confirmed five cases of H1N1 in Maseru during a televised interview on Lesotho TV on the evening of September 3, 2009. The five are all resident in urban Maseru and sought treatment at local health facilities. All were tested for H1N1 as they experienced high fever and other symptomatic indicators of the flu. All were treated with Tamiflu and are reported to have recovered fully. ¶2. It is unknown exactly when the five patients appeared at local health facilities for treatment. The results of the testing were reported to have returned from a South African laboratory on August 27 and it is not clear why local health officials waited one week to report the finding publicly. ¶3. Post understands from Ministry of Health contacts that three (3) of the cases are females of 9, 14, and 26 years of age. Two (2) are males aged 12 and 15 years. Two of the patients are allegedly from the same family. Four of the patients were treated at a local private clinic in Maseru and one at Queen Elizabeth II, Lesotho's national referral hospital. Four of the patients had travelled to South Africa, while the fifth had contact with a child visiting from South Africa. ¶4. Comment: Given the close social and economic ties between Lesotho and South Africa, it is likely that there are other cases of H1N1 flu in Lesotho. However, with a weak local health infrastructure and no local laboratory that can test for this strain of influenza, it is difficult to determine the extent of infection with this virus. Post will provide updates to the H1N1 situation in Lesotho as information becomes available. NOLAN