Eleven people, out of the 58 registered H1N1 flu cases in Morocco, have died so far, said the Ministry of Health on Sunday. According to the same source, 15 people who caught this flu variety have fully recovered while 32 are still undergoing treatment in public and private health facilities. The deaths are mostly related to complications, listed by the Health ministry, including age, pregnancy, and chronic diseases. These cases are spread over various provinces of the Kingdom with four cases in Casablanca, three in Tangier and one case registered in each of the cities of Rabat, Fez, Tan-Tan and Azilal, the same communiqué says. As part of the national surveillance system and the surveillance system for seasonal influenza, the current epidemiological situation remains usual, in comparison with previous seasons and with the world situation reported by the World Health Organization (WHO). The sample of 684 specimens collected from patients with influenza-like illness or IRAS revealed the presence of the influenza virus in 160 samples, or 23.3% of detected cases, the ministry said, noting that 97.5% of the identified viruses were type A versus 2.5% cases belonging to type B. Of the A viruses, subtype A (H1N1) is 78.8% of the cases and subtype A (H3N2) represents 21.2% of the registered cases. For all patients presenting in an array of IRAS and requiring antiviral treatment, drugs are available at public hospitals and accessible to private clinics through wholesalers, says the source. The ministry also continues to stress the importance of general hygiene measures for the prevention of seasonal influenza and vaccination, particularly indicated for vulnerable individuals and until the influenza season is over. For more information and advice on this subject, citizens can contact the reduced-fee number set up by the Ministry of Health: 080 100 47 47, the statement concludes.
