Africa H1N1 Swine Flu Summary updated 26 MAY 2010

Deaths from H1N1 have not been anywhere near as high as was feared earlier. However, a new shift in cases in the southern hemisphere may mean that more deaths will occur. West Africa is the newest area to be hit and virtually all the new cases have occurred in 2010. Ghana and Senegal are the most affected. VOA reported on 29th March 2010 that H1N1 Swine Flu Cases Increasing in Southern Hemisphere

Latest updates on numbers from WHO

As of May 26, 2010, 09H00 GMT, 35 countries have officially reported 18,598 laboratory confirmed human cases of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 including 168 deaths. (This is an increase of 549 cases since April 01 2010 and 1 additional death)

View breakdown of confirmed cases by country

In focus: WHO responds to current critical scrutiny

In a letter to BMJ editors dated 8 June 2010, the Director-General strongly refuted allegations of conflicts of interest leveled at WHO in a recent editorial and feature published in the medical journal. “At no time, not for one second, did commercial interests enter my decision-making”, said the Director-General.

WHO Director-General’s letter to BMJ editors
8 June 2010

The international response to the influenza pandemic: WHO responds to the critics
10 June 2010

Information Sources

WHO African Region situation updates – Pandemic (H1N1) 2009

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_flu_pandemic

WHO information on Africa

Influenza Lab results for Africa

World map showing outbreaks (you can focus in on Africa)

2009 Flu pandemic

WHO donates TAMI FLU to the Health Sector – Gambia, 01 june 2009

- Intensifier la sensibilisation avec le personnel de l’OMS Tchad sur la grippe A/H1N1

- Le point sur la préparation de la réponse à la pandémie de la grippe AH1N1 au Burundi – 19 mai 2009

- Le point sur la préparation de la réponse à la pandémie de la grippe AH1N1 au Burundi – 18 mai 2009

- Prévention de la Grippe AH1N1
Tout est prêt pour faire face à la Pandémie – Mauritanie, 14 mai 2009

- Numéro Spécial: Réunion Extraordinaire des Ministres de la Santé de la CEEAC à Kinshasa avec l’appui de l’OMS RDC

How to Prepare for a Pandemic: 100 Tips, Tools, and Resources

IRIN NEWS, Afrik.com, Reuters AlertNet, WHO – Regional Office for Africa, BBC News, South Africa Info, ReliefWeb

Preparations

All countries in the region have activated their national emergency preparedness and contingency response plans

A crisis management team has been put in place by the Regional Director at the regional office (Brazzaville) and the sub regional levels (Intercountry Support teams in Harare, Zimbabwe, Gabon and Burkina Faso)) to work closely with countries to boost their disease surveillance to ensure that any suspected case of Influenza A H1N1 is detected early.

Stockpiles of relevant medicines have been dispatched to all countries in the region as well as mapping laboratory and human resources capability at country and regional levels to enable WHO to support Member States to respond rapidly to any suspected outbreaks.  WHO has accredited at least 19 African laboratories to carry out flu testing. SWL Flu A(H1) Reagents have been sent to the labs.

IRIN NEWS also reports the following regional efforts:

• The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is drawing up a regional strategy, according to Adrienne Diop, ECOWAS commissioner of development and emergencies. One of the issues ECOWAS is studying is member countries’ access to flu medication. The West African Health Organization (WAHO) located in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, will execute ECOWAS’s eventual recommendations.

• WHO’s Africa regional office is working with countries to bolster their disease surveillance systems and strengthen contingency and preparedness plans, WHO regional director for Africa Luis Sambo said in a 30 April communiqué. The regional office is strategically pre-positioning stockpiles of Tamiflu and personal protective equipment such as masks, as well as mapping laboratory and human resources capacity at country and regional levels, the statement said.

• UN agencies are working on contingency plans with WHO as lead; World Food Programme will play a key role in logistics. The UN is working to spread awareness of how to prevent infection.

• The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) has a USAID-funded humanitarian pandemic preparation project underway in six West African countries – Benin, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria and Senegal, according to Hans Jürgen Ebbing, IFRC health and care coordinator in the West and Central Africa office. The project involves helping National Red Cross Societies develop civil society contingency plans. IFRC plans to accelerate the effort in order to cope with the H1N1 flu threat. IFRC is also supporting national societies in 24 countries across West and Central Africa to help develop contingency plans and possible response plans. These will form part of government plans as societies are an auxiliary to government in emergency response. IFRC worldwide on 30 April launched an appeal for US$4.4 million to fund its response to the spread of H1N1.

• World Vision is contacting health ministries in the seven West African countries in which it works (Chad, Ghana, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Sierra Leone) to assist in raising public awareness without creating panic. “It is important to allow people to have appropriate information on this issue,” said Paul Sitnam, emergency response coordinator for West Africa.

Suggested Books (US)

• The Swine Flu Affair: Decision-making on a Slippery Disease

• Global Time Bomb: Surviving the H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic and Other Global Health Threats

Other Africa health books

Suggested Books (UK)

• The Swine Flu Affair: Decision-Making on a Slippery Disease

• Global Time Bomb: Surviving the H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic and Other Global Health Threats

Other Africa health books