Swine Flu Patients Flee From Hospitals

Herbalist Dr MziziMkavu · 2009-10-31T03:33:39+00:00

Katesh Swine flu cases in Mbulu District, Manyara Region, have risen sharply in recent weeks amid reports that infected people are escaping from hospitals. Mbulu District Medical Officer Anael Pallangyo told The Citizen yesterday that 245 people in the district had been confirmed to have the flu. There were only 35 confirmed swine flu cases in Mbulu when the only confirmed death from disease in the country occurred in the district earlier this month. Dr Pallangyo said some of the people quarantined as they waited for results of blood tests had escaped from hospital. Most of those who had escaped had done so out of fear they would test positive for the disease. He said many people suspected to have the disease developed anxiety during the long time it took to send samples to Dar es Salaam for testing and dispatch the results to Mbulu. People diagnosed with the disease are receiving treatment at various medical facilities in the district. Dr Pallangyo said 86 people suspected to have swine flu had been quarantined at special screening centres. It is from these centres that patients have escaped. A primary school teacher died of swine flu in Mbulu on October 8, about three months since the first case of the disease was confirmed in Tanzania. She was initially admitted to the district hospital, but her condition worsened after she was discharged. Dr Pallangyo said medical experts were concerned about the sharp increase in the number of cases and rapid spread of the disease in the district. Most of the confirmed cases were initially in and around Mbulu Town, but the disease had by yesterday spread to Kainam, Masieda, Daudi and Sanu wards and as far afield as Haydom near the border with Hanang District. Dr Pallangyo reiterated his earlier assertion that linked the spread of the disease in the district to students returning to schools in Mbulu from holiday elsewhere in the country. He also emphasised that the disease had nothing to do with pig rearing in Mbulu, especially in the highland areas where much of the population is concentrated. There were no reports of swine flu cases in the neighbouring districts of Hanang, Babati and Karatu, or in Arusha Region by the time Dr Pallangyo spoke to The Citizen. However, there was some panic in Hanang District, which borders Haydom Ward in Mbulu, where some of the latest swine flu cases were detected. A hospital operated by the Lutheran Church in Haydom serves much of Hanang District. Relevant Links East Africa Tanzania Health Arusha Regional Medical officer Salash Toure said no swine flu case had been reported to his office, adding that he was closely monitoring the situation. That no swine flu case has been reported in Arusha is remarkable in that the region receives many foreign visitors, mostly tourists, conference delegates, researchers and students. Foreign students were the first people to be diagnosed with swine flu in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. This prompted the East African Community to issue a health alert among member states. Globally, swine flu was first detected in Mexico early this year before spreading rapidly in North and South America, Asia and Africa. Global deaths reached at least 5,000 by yesterday, according to the World Health Organisation. Dar es Salaam, Manyara and Mara are the only regions with confirmed cases in Tanzania. http://allafrica.com/stories/200910280601.html

Thread starter Herbalist Dr MziziMkavu
Start date Oct 31, 2009

Herbalist Dr MziziMkavu

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