Global: No A (H1N1) cases - reality or poor lab facilities?

DAKAR: No Influenza A (H1N1) cases have yet been confirmed in Africa, causing medical experts to question whether this is due to good luck or the continent's lack of fully-equipped influenza testing facilities.

A (H1N1) cases have been confirmed in North and South America, Asia and Europe, but not yet Australasia or Africa, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

“I'm very surprised there are no reported cases here yet - a lack of diagnosis capacity is one clear reason,” said Kariuki Njenga, head of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)-funded Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) laboratory in the capital Nairobi. “The risk we face from this is misreporting [of cases] and late detection of the infection...By the time we have discovered the disease has spread, it could be too late.”

Read the full article on IRIN.