Nigeria records first swine flu case in US girl

LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, said late on Wednesday it had recorded its first case of H1N1 swine flu in a 9-year old girl from the United States living in the commercial hub of Lagos.

The health ministry said the girl, who had symptoms including fever, sore throat and nausea, had fully recovered after 5 days and that while her mother also had mild symptoms, no other family members or school pupils were affected.

"We want to reassure all Nigerians that there is no need to panic," the ministry said, adding that all of the country's 36 states had been given adequate supplies of the antiviral drug Tamiflu.

The H1N1 pandemic strain passes easily from person to person and has infected millions globally since March, killing at least 5,000 people whose infections have been documented, according to the World Health Organisation.

Medical experts say the prevalence of illnesses such as tuberculosis and malaria in many parts of Africa, combined with a lack of adequate healthcare in rural areas, could mask the spread of swine flu.