Death toll rises, NGOs fear virus may spread

The death toll from a severe strain of the flu has reached 374 in the Indian Ocean nation of Madagascar and is expected to climb, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday. WHO said that epidemiologists from the country's Pasteur Institute had identified the virus as influenza A, which causes acute respiratory infection. "Although there has been a sharp rise in the number of deaths reported, it does not mean that the situation is getting worse. It means that we have only now been able to get an overall picture of the situation. "However, we have isolated the virus. We can now move toward treating patients effectively. The kind of influenza experienced is severe and dangerous. If people are weak, the virus has a devastating effect on the immune system which may result in death," WHO Resident Representative Andre Ndiguyeze told IRIN. Already close to 5,000 people in the last month have been affected by the virus, Ndiguyeze said. Most reported cases are in the central province of Fianarantsoa, the poorest province in the country, about 350-km south of the capital Antananarivo. However, latest reports suggest that the virus has spread to the coastal province of Tamatave. Ndiguyeze said that while the local WHO chapter could handle the number of patients who needed antibiotics to treat complications of the virus, the organisation was preparing to launch an appeal for additional funds and medicine in anticipation of the further spread of the virus. "Right now, we are still able to keep everything under control with the help of NGOs and the health ministry, but quite soon we will need some external help, should we receive reports that other provinces have been affected," he said. The government has launched a nationwide awareness campaign, urging its citizens to seek urgent medical care should they have flu-like symptoms. Those infected by the virus complained of severe headaches followed by neck and chest aches, and a dry cough, a statement by the health ministry said. "Apart from the severity of the strain of the disease, most of the victims are poor and undernourished, which makes them more vulnerable. Children are particularly vulnerable to the illness. On top of the shortage of medicine, many hospitals do not have basic supplies such as beds," Ndiguyeze said. According to World Bank figures, Madagascar is the eighth poorest country in the world. A recent political crisis crippled an already fragile economy leaving thousands jobless and without food.