She said the Ministry of Health is waiting for many results from the specimen sent for testing in South Africa. She stated that the World Health Organisation (WHO) laboratory that is testing the H1N1 specimens from the region has not brought any results since last month. El Halabi explained that even though they have not received any results from the laboratory, which is based in South Africa, they treat all the symptomatic cases. "It is not that we do no treat them. We will let them know about the outcome of their results once we get them even if they have recovered," she said. She explained that they will make sure that the people the patients have been in contact with have not been infected with the virus. "Results are just a confirmation and they do not disrupt the management of the disease. The public is advised to continue taking care of themselves especially their personal hygiene and to stay at home if they are sick to minimise transmitting the disease," she said.
Signs and symptoms of the Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) are a fever, sore throat, cough, stuffy nose, chills, headache, body aches and fatigue. Meanwhile the WHO regional office for Africa has registered a total of 8,125 confirmed cases of Swine Flu and 40 deaths by September 13, 2009.
