Swine flu hits century in Sri Lanka

Three Japanese employees who arrived in Sri Lanka at the beginning of the month with A/H1N1 Novel Influenza also known as Swine Flu have taken the number of cases detected in the island to 100.
This is the first time that Japanese nationals have been identified with having the flu in Sri Lanka. It has also prompted World Health Organization (WHO) officials to warn local health authorities to maintain vigilance given the high rate of infection in Japan. According to WHO records 343, 000 cases have been identified, out of which 4, 100 people have died. In the month of September 24, 373 people caught the disease.
The first case of A/H1N1 in Sri Lanka was detected on June 16 when an eight year old boy travelling from Australia was identified with the strain. Since then there have been 24 children below the age of 10 among those diagnosed with A/H1N1 Novel Influenza and treated at the Infectious
Diseases Hospital (IDH), Angoda. This is the first time a case has been detected through a visitor from Japan where according to the World Health Organization influenza activity has continued to increase above the seasonal epidemic threshold since August.
As many individual countries have stopped counting cases, especially when it is a mild attack WHO warns the numbers could be much higher. WHO declared the spread of A/H1N1 as a pandemic four months ago and it was the first influenza pandemic in forty years. Although the illness is mild in most cases, WHO warned that in the winter months it places a huge strain on the health system of developing countries with pregnant mothers and those suffering from chronic illnesses more susceptible to complications.