Johannesburg - The St Stithians College in Johannesburg has issued a swine flu alert after one of its learners contracted the H1N1 virus.
School spokesperson Megan van der Poll told BuaNews that one of the learners was confirmed with swine flu last Friday and as a precautionary measure, the school had sent letters to parents to make them aware of the virus.
"We have not taken any drastic measures; we've notified the parents of the incident to make them aware of the virus and symptoms and also advised them to seek medical help when they notice the symptoms in their kids.
"We have spoken with the Department of Health and they've given us the guidelines on how to control it. The best thing to do is to wait and see what happens next. The child is recovering at home and expected to come back to school," Ms van der Poll said on Tuesday.
Signs of H1N1 flu include fever, coughing, headache, muscle and joint pain, sore throat and runny nose, and sometimes vomiting and diarrhoea.
To prevent the spread of the virus, people who are ill should cover their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, stay home when they are unwell, clean their hands regularly, and keep some distance from healthy people, as much as possible.
By Tuesday, the number of confirmed H1N1 influenza cases in South Africa had jumped to 85 from the 75 cases confirmed on Monday.
Giving an update on the H1N1 pandemic on Monday, Health Department Chief Director for Communicable Disease Frew Benson said the department would continue monitoring and strengthening surveillance through capacity building at all levels and rational use of antivirals and antibiotics.
Dr Benson said the department was strengthening the system for early detection and also strengthening its communication and public information through radio campaigns and regular press releases.
The first case of swine flu was confirmed in South Africa on 18 June.
On 11 June, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared H1N1 pandemic and urged countries to update their plans and reactivate rapid response teams and focus on mitigating the impact of the virus through appropriate care of patients.
The Department of Health and WHO representatives are currently meeting to discuss the increasing number of swine flu cases in South Africa.
