Morocco Declares End to H1N1 Flu Outbreak as Cases Decline

Quoted by the magazine Challenge, the minister was reassuring while remaining vigilant. "Morocco is emerging from the flu season and the ministry is already preparing for the next season. From an epidemiological point of view, we have come out of the peak; that is to say, there are fewer and fewer cases of people presenting with flu-like syndromes or respiratory failure," the minister said, adding that the fear of the early days seems to be fading and "the demand for medicines and vaccines has regressed a lot and I think things are getting back to normal."

For the minister, the year 2019 has not been more deadly than previous years. The health authorities have just communicated a little more on the issue. "The only difference is that this year, we have decided to communicate more about care and awareness of the importance of getting vaccinated, especially for people at risk, those of advanced age and who have chronic diseases."

At the height of the epidemic, in early February, several deaths had been recorded in Morocco, including a mother who was about to give birth to her baby. The newborn will die a little later, without it being known whether he died from the flu or something else.

On several occasions, the Moroccan health authorities have called on the at-risk population, i.e. the elderly, children under six, pregnant women or other vulnerable people, to adopt healthy behavior such as washing their hands thoroughly or sneezing into a tissue and of course getting vaccinated against the disease.