H1N1 flu : Death toll reaches 16, according to the government's spokesperson

Moroccan government's spokesperson Mustapha El khalfi announced on Tuesday, February the 5th, in Rabat that 16 people died after catching the H1N1 flu, reports MAP news agency. The Minister indicated that 20 people have fully recovered while 36 others are still undergoing treatment in public and private health facilities.

The deaths are mostly related to complications, listed by the Health ministry, including age, pregnancy, and chronic diseases.

As part of the national surveillance system and the surveillance system for seasonal influenza, the current epidemiological situation remains usual, in comparison with previous seasons and with the world situation reported by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The sample of 684 specimens collected from patients with influenza-like illness or IRAS revealed the presence of the influenza virus in 160 samples, or 23.3% of detected cases, the ministry said, noting that 97.5% of the identified viruses were type A versus 2.5% cases belonging to type B.

Of the A viruses, sub-type A (H1N1) is 78.8% of the cases and sub-type A (H3N2) represents 21.2% of the registered cases.