The Department of Health has alerted the public of an increasing circulation of influenza, also known as “flu”, around the country since the beginning of May 2023.
The department was notified by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) about the rising cases.
In a statement on Saturday, the department said the cases have been steadily increasing since 10 April 2023 and the NICD has received reports of influenza clusters in schools and workplaces.
An increase in case numbers has been identified in six provinces namely KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and North West, where surveillance is conducted.
Influenza or flu is an acute respiratory illness caused by an infection of the respiratory tract with the influenza virus.
“There are two types of influenza viruses that commonly infect humans namely A and B. The flu viruses are typically in circulation before the winter season in South Africa.
“The virus spreads from person to person through inhalation of…
