Two patients suffering apparently from swine flu passed away in Lahore on Saturday.
The World Health Organisation has so far reported 37 suspected cases of H1N1 flu in the province, 15 of them from Multan. Nine people have died due to the severity of the disease so far.
On Saturday, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif directed the health secretary and the adviser to chief minister on health to submit a report on the death of the two patients who died in the city. The chief minister also directed health authorities to take all possible steps to stop the disease from spreading. “Every life is precious. I will tolerate no negligence in stopping the flu from spreading,” the chief minister was quoted as saying in a brief statement issued by the Directorate General of Public Relations.
Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences-Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University Vice Chancellor Professor Javed Akram said, “Swine flu is a communicable viral infection which transfers from animals, usually pigs, to human beings. The disease doesn’t exist in Pakistan. It might be transported here from other countries. Seasonal influenza A (H1N1) is the same as swine flu.”
He said the early symptoms of the disease were those of the common flu. Patients suffer from chest congestion, there is reduced oxygen in their blood and spots occur on their bodies. One of the ways to control the disease is to clamp down on smuggling of animals into the country, Akram said. Animals that are imported must be checked for the disease. He said healthcare workers should get regular checkups, wear masks and wash their hands regularly to avoid contracting this disease, he said.
“H1N1 and swine flu are basically the same. The only difference is that swine flu is transferred from swine while H1N1 is transferred from human to human. The term ‘swine flu’ is used for both of them,” a doctor at the Centre for Communicable Diseases (CDC), requesting anonymity, said.
“Swine flu is not common in Pakistan. If a disease has zero incidence in an area, a single case is treated as an epidemic. The government should issue an epidemic alert and a centre or hospital should be reserved for swine flu patients,” the doctor recommended.
President of the General Cadre Doctors’ Association, Dr Masood Sheikh, said H1N1 was contagious. “It spreads the same way seasonal Influenza does. Typical influenza symptoms include fever with an abrupt onset, chills, sore throat, non-productive cough, often accompanied by headaches, coryza, myalgia and prostration.”
He said an H1N1 infection could lead to more serious complications, including pneumonia and respiratory failure. H1N1 may also be dangerous for pregnant women in their third trimester and people who have chronic lung, liver, blood, nervous system, neuromuscular, or metabolic problems. Diabetics, asthmatics and people with suppressed immune systems (including those who take medication to suppress their immune systems or who have HIV) are also at risk, he said.
The H1N1 virus can be confirmed by a throat or nasal swab laboratory test. Oseltamivir capsules can be given to suspected cases, he added. Health education sessions for hospital staff, attendants and families should be conducted, with special emphasis on washing hands and precautions against airborne infections. Surface disinfectants and hand sanitisers can be used to prevent cross infection, he added.
Vector Borne Diseases Additional Director General Dr Jaffar Ilyas said five patients had died of H1N1 in the Punjab. “This is not swine flu. This is seasonal influenza A (H1N1). The WHO figures include patients suspected of the disease. “We are prepared to control this disease from spreading and hospitals have treatment facilities to deal with such patients,” he said.
One patient named Shaukat was known to have died of H1N1 in Lahore. The other patient’s test was not confirmed, he said.
A doctor at Mayo Hospital said hundreds of patients with flu visited the hospital each day and it was very difficult to differentiate between patients of swine flu and common cold. “There should be an SOP like there is in the case of dengue fever, detailing which patients should be screened and tested,” he suggested.
Another doctor at the Services Hospital said five patients dying of swine flu was alarming situation. “We receive countless patients complaining of flu everyday but it is not possible to figure out how many of them suffer from swine flu. Raising an epidemic alert and running suspected patients through special tests could help the situation,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 6th, 2014.