Ronan Kelly
Retired 2020
Number of swine flu patients reaches 23
Saturday, December 12, 2009
By Saher Baloch
Karachi
The Sindh government has said that the number of swine flu patients has reached 23 during the last 24 hours.
According to informed sources, however, the number has exceeded 30 since June this year, with seven confirmed deaths.
The recent death from swine flu was reported at the Liaquat National Hospital, where a 34-year-old man died of severe body ache and high fever.
His family said that he had not travelled abroad recently and that is why they did not believe at first that he was suffering from swine flu which gradually made his condition worse.
The sudden increase in swine flu cases was seen after the arrival of hajj pilgrims from Saudi Arabia.
The Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) tested blood samples of some 23 patients this week and confirmed them positive after getting the results.
The focal person of the Sindh Surveillance Cell, Dr Shakil Mullick, however, said that only those results were considered authentic which were given by the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad. He, however, confirmed that majority of the swine flu cases were from Karachi and an expected rise could not be ruled out in this regard.
According to the Infection Control Committee at AKUH, majority of the infected patients were pregnant women with severe fever and body ache.
Doctors and experts suggest that frequently washing hands and taking due care, by covering mouth, in the presence of a sick person was really important and may save one from contracting the fever.
Meanwhile, the Sindh health department has chalked out a plan to counter the disease including creating awareness among the general public about the disease, which is rampant all over the world.
Secretary Health Hashim Raza Zaidi has said that they have enough medicines to ?treat thousands? at the moment.
The most needed medicine at the moment is Relenza, which, he said, will be made available in the market in a few days.
Since April, the swine flu has killed about 10,000 people in the United States alone, even after having a bulk of vaccines and medicines to suppress the disease.
A senior doctor said that the need of the hour was to provide swine flu kits and vaccines for those suffering from the disease as well as taking precautionary measures to contain the ailment.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=212800
Saturday, December 12, 2009
By Saher Baloch
Karachi
The Sindh government has said that the number of swine flu patients has reached 23 during the last 24 hours.
According to informed sources, however, the number has exceeded 30 since June this year, with seven confirmed deaths.
The recent death from swine flu was reported at the Liaquat National Hospital, where a 34-year-old man died of severe body ache and high fever.
His family said that he had not travelled abroad recently and that is why they did not believe at first that he was suffering from swine flu which gradually made his condition worse.
The sudden increase in swine flu cases was seen after the arrival of hajj pilgrims from Saudi Arabia.
The Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) tested blood samples of some 23 patients this week and confirmed them positive after getting the results.
The focal person of the Sindh Surveillance Cell, Dr Shakil Mullick, however, said that only those results were considered authentic which were given by the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad. He, however, confirmed that majority of the swine flu cases were from Karachi and an expected rise could not be ruled out in this regard.
According to the Infection Control Committee at AKUH, majority of the infected patients were pregnant women with severe fever and body ache.
Doctors and experts suggest that frequently washing hands and taking due care, by covering mouth, in the presence of a sick person was really important and may save one from contracting the fever.
Meanwhile, the Sindh health department has chalked out a plan to counter the disease including creating awareness among the general public about the disease, which is rampant all over the world.
Secretary Health Hashim Raza Zaidi has said that they have enough medicines to ?treat thousands? at the moment.
The most needed medicine at the moment is Relenza, which, he said, will be made available in the market in a few days.
Since April, the swine flu has killed about 10,000 people in the United States alone, even after having a bulk of vaccines and medicines to suppress the disease.
A senior doctor said that the need of the hour was to provide swine flu kits and vaccines for those suffering from the disease as well as taking precautionary measures to contain the ailment.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=212800