ESWATINI ON HIGH ALERT AFTER SA INFLUENZA OUTBREAK

SITEKI – The Eswatini government, through the Ministry of Health, says it is on high alert following reports of an outbreak of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

The RSV is a common respiratory virus that infects the nose, throat, lungs and breathing passages. This comes after reports of surging figures of the influenza virus in the Republic of South Africa. According to the Ministry of Health Principal Secretary (PS) Khanya Mabuza, emaSwati experiencing the symptoms should promptly visit their nearest health facilities and also observe the hand hygiene and wearing of mask at all times, at their workstations. The PS emphasised the need to ensure that everyone exercised extra caution, especially those using ports of entry and those using informal crossing points. Mabuza said the ministry, through its Surveillance Department, would monitor records in health facilities, as well as in ports of entry, to able to act from an informed perspective.

He added that emaSwati should brace themselves for a possible return to some of the protective measures applied during the COVID-19 pandemic era. “I would like to urge the nation, on behalf of government, to be on the lookout for the symptoms and isolate themselves once they have been diagnosed to have contracted the viruses. The ministry will do everything in its powers to ensure that it monitors the circulation of the virus,” he said. According to a statement released by the Department of Health in SA, members of the public are urged to take extra precautionary measures to protect themselves and their loved ones against respiratory infections, which are expected to increase over the winter season. The statement mentioned that the RSV is currently at peak circulation in SA, while influenza virus infections are starting to increase, though COVID-19 continues to circulate at low levels.

Surveillance

The department further stated that the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) had a surveillance system which monitored the circulation of respiratory viruses throughout the country and had notified the department that this was currently the peak season for RSV, which can be confused by some people with COVID-19 due to common symptoms. The RSV causes illness mainly in young children, but also contributes to respiratory illness in older individuals. Explaining about the RSV and influenza virus, the department stated that it had started to see an increase in cases. “While most diseases caused by influenza, RSV and SARS-CoV-2 viruses are mild; these viruses may cause severe illness and even death among the citizens around the country, particularly in individuals with conditions placing them at high risk of severe disease,” reads the statement.

It further mentioned that the influenza season is expected to start in the next few weeks and that it was advisable for people, especially those at high risk of severe influenza (adults aged 65 years and older, people with underlying illness such as heart and lung disease and people living with HIV and tuberculosis, as well as pregnant people) to get the influenza vaccine to prevent severe health complications, in case they contracted this virus. Influenza vaccine is available in public clinics free of charge (on first come-first serve basis). The vaccine can also be purchased in the private pharmacies for other people who fall in the high-risk groups as well as for those who do not fall into one of the risk groups, but who would like to protect themselves from the influenza.

The influenza virus spreads mainly from one person to another by respiratory droplets and co-infections with other respiratory viruses can occur, hence it is important for people to always cover their nose and mouth when they cough or sneeze. Some of the common symptoms of this respiratory virus, influenza include but are not limited to runny nose, decrease in appetite, coughing, sneezing and fever, including wheezing.

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