Experts allay fears over H1N1 flu

PUNE: Four of the 205 H1N1 positive cases in Pune have turned severe. Why? Experts say there is no need to panic as the death of a 14-year-old girl was the result of delayed detection and treatment, while the other four cases became critical because of underlying medical history of ailments.
Commenting on the four critical cases in Sassoon hospital, Mandeep Chadha, deputy director of the National Institute of Virology, said: "There might be some kind of underlying medical history that led to the severity when coupled with H1N1 in all the serious cases."
Chadha said, "The severity found in these cases does not mean that the virus is getting virulent.It is mild at this stage and there is nothing to worry about. People should follow hygienic practices and stay healthy. There is no need to panic as the H1N1 flu is self-resolving."
Elaborating on some of the risk factors that might trigger severity in H1N1 flu cases, senior physician Prakash Mahajan said, "Although the risk factors for the H1N1 flu are not known definitively, factors such as existing cardiovascular or respiratory disease, diabetes and cancer can add to the risk. Asthma and other forms of respiratory diseases have been consistently reported as underlying conditions associated with an augmented risk of severe H1N1 flu in several countries. A recent report suggests obesity could be another risk factor for severe H1N1 flu."
"There is no need to panic because only one fatal case and four severe ones have been reported in more than two hundred H1N1 positive cases in the city. This is not at all alarming. The severity was because of the patients' history like diabetes or other ailments," said Devendra Shirole, former state president of the Indian Medical Association.
"The incidence rate of the disease is four in 1,000," Shirole said, adding that people need to adopt habits like use of tissues and handkerchiefs and stop spitting in the open.
Physician Radheshyam Lahoti cited delayed treatment as another possible cause for severity among H1N1 cases. "Identifying the disease is difficult as the diagnostic symptoms of swine flu and common flu are very similar. Out of the total population of Pune, only four critical cases have been reported till now. But now things have become better and there is no need to panic."
Avinash Bhondwe, former president of the city unit of the IMA, lay stress on the need for people to follow precautionary measures religiously. "There is no need to panic as things are not as bad as they seem to be. The main reason behind so many people coming forward to get themselves checked was the unavailability of facilities to confirm if one is H1N1 positive or not."
About the reason for the panic, he said: "This is a new disease and not much is known about it. To add to this, its symptoms are very similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu. Until a swab test is conducted on a suspect, it is very difficult for doctors to confirm the disease. Hence, the swab tests should be made available to people showing the symptoms even if they are expensive."
Even though the government is disseminating information about what precautions one must take, a major part of the population is unaware of it. Hence, the aim should be to educate the public about the precautionary measures, Bhondwe added.