Five new cases of A/H1N1 influenza confirmed in Madagascar

"Fifteen cases, including five new cases, were now proved in Madagascar since Aug. 13," Armand Randrianarivo, Director of Epidemiological Control under the Ministry of Health and Family Planning, told the press on Tuesday.

"But these patients were well taken care of and about 90 others, who had been in contact with them, have received preventive treatment," reports quoted Randrianarivo as saying on Wednesday.

The victims included a 25-month-old baby, who returned last week from France, Randrianarivo said, adding that the child was not sick but the results of systematic sampling border revealed that he was contaminated.

Local health authorities immediately took necessary measures, including treatment of the baby and preventive measures for all persons who had contact with him.

Four towns, including Antananarivo and the coastal port city of Mahajanga, 608 kilometers northwest of here, have reported cases of the A/H1N1 flu; Kazinform refers to China View.

See www.chinaview.cn for full version.