Susan Kok, South Africa's first suspected swine flu case, thought nothing of her flu symptoms while on a month-long holiday in Mexico, a report in Die Burger said on Thursday.

"We spent quite a bit of time on trains and buses. And we were at the airport in Mexico City three times, so I thought the cough was just due to jet lag," said Kok (58) of Hersham near Mossel Bay.

She only went to a doctor to silence family members who were insisting on it.

"We went to the doctor, where he took a sample from my throat. Now I'm waiting for the results. Each time the phone rings, we run, hoping it's the results," Kok told Die Burger in a telephonic interview.

Health department director general Thami Mseleku told journalists on Wednesday there were no confirmed cases of swine flu in South Africa.

"In addition, the department of agriculture has informed us there have been no cases of swine flu in pigs in South Africa or the region. The most recent case was reported in Kenya in the 1950s."

Mseleku said the risk of contracting the illness by eating pork products was very low, as it was more likely to be spread by humans who travelled internationally.

Confirmation chances slim

The chances were slim of ever being able to confirm whether Kok was the first South African to be infected with this deadly new strain of flu.

The blood sample taken from her was not stored appropriately, which meant a laboratory assessment to confirm the case could not be done, said deputy director of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Lucille Blumberg.

"(But) she fits the case definitely," said Blumberg.

Kok and her husband Dan (63) had been asked to stay away from other people, and were currently isolated in their home.

The couple, who spent two years planning the trip to Mexico, arrived back in South Africa on Saturday.

"We went to all the places (in Mexico) that they're talking about on TV now and it was fantastic," said Kok.

Amongst other places, they visited Mexico City, Cancun, Chihuahua and the Copper Ravine.

She told the newspaper that they occasionally saw people with masks, but only heard about the deadly flu on Saturday, when their son-in-law informed them about it via SMS when they were at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

"We thought it (Mexico) was just like the East, where everyone walks around wearing those masks."

Another woman in Gauteng might also be infected, as she had also returned from Mexico with a flu-like illness.

Symptoms to look out for included fever, body aches, a runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

Meanwhile, a thermal image detection system which could aid the identification of anyone possibly infected with swine flu was in place at Lanseria airport. The implementation of two similar machines at OR Tambo airport was being fast-tracked.