South Africa says: We'll worry about swine flu when a few million die, before then let's watch soccer and rugby and pretend it's not happening

SHOOT: Good strategy. Worked with AIDS.

clipped from www.iol.co.za South Africa can expect a spike in the number of reported swine flu cases in the next few months - but health authorities are not concerned about the spread. The country currently has 13 cases of swine flu, six of which have been reported this week alone. But National Institute for Communicable Diseases head, Lucille Blumberg, on Friday said they were not aiming to contain the H1N1 virus. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), at least 337 people have died around the world from swine flu, which has infected 80 000 people in 121 countries. "We should expect lots more cases. Other countries have experienced large outbreaks. There is no concern. Most of the cases will not even receive medical attention. We are not aiming to contain it. It is very mild." While the deaths are a concern, the percentage of fatalities compared to the total number of cases worldwide is small.