Jordan in grip of flu epidemic, doctors say
Jordan Times - 17/12/2006
(MENAFN - Jordan Times) AMMAN ? The availability of influenza vaccinations has failed to keep pace with demand this year as the Kingdom experiences one of its worst flu epidemics in recent memory, according to physicians.
The dearth of vaccines, they say, occurred this October and early November and was largely a result of a surge in demand by citizens.
Minister of Health Saad Kharabsheh referred to the influenza situation in the country as an "epidemic," with a conspicuously larger number of people falling ill.
The symptoms of this year's strain, which are lasting longer than usual and are more intense, include a sore throat, achy joints, fever, and an unusual occurrence of "temporary asthma-like side effects."
Dr. Ahmad Irani, an internist in Amman, said he has treated three times the number of flu stricken patients this year. "My patients say this is the worst flu they have had in their lives."
Doctors have also confirmed that employees are taking as many as six to seven days off work because of the intensity of the virus.
The president of the Jordan Thoracic Society Dr. Khamis Khattab said: "I don't know how many more are being treated in the hospital this year, but more are admitting themselves because the severity of their illness and complications are acute compared to previous flu seasons." He speculated that this year's flu "could be a new virus."
According to Bassem Hijjawi, director of disease control at the Ministry of Health, the government lacks the means to make accurate estimates of influenza trends in the Kingdom.
"We don't know the number of flu cases here. We don't have the facilities in the country to track them," he said, adding: "We don't know the actual size of the problem ? it's bigger than we anticipated."
Hijjawi said a specialist based at the US Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3 in Cairo, Egypt, had recently flown to Jordan to examine the virus and provide technical support for the ministry.
This year, 100,000 doses of vaccine were procured by the ministry and designated for certain segments of the population like the elderly, people attending the Hajj, and chronic disease patients who may be more susceptible to complications associated with influenza, Kharabsheh told The Jordan Times.
"But it's not in our plan to vaccinate the entire population," he said. "We're not giving it to every citizen, only to special parts of the population."
Dr. Zeid Kilani of Rawhi, a pharmaceutical distribution company in the Kingdom, said enough vaccines were imported to cover roughly 3 per cent of the population. "Vaccines were available in October and November, but the issue in Jordan is about growing demand," he added.
Some physicians confirmed that they ran out of vaccinations in October and were unable to meet patient demand.
"I received phone calls from hundreds of patients demanding vaccines for their families, but they were not made ready," said Irani.
He said more are available for purchase now, but the "optimal time to get a vaccination had passed." The best time, he added, is at least three weeks in advance of the flu season, usually in mid October, before infections begin escalating.
Physicians suspect the recent avian flu scare has raised awareness of the importance of general immunity-boosting medications among physicians and citizens, leading more doctors to prescribe influenza vaccinations.
But Irani believes more should have been available on the market.
"There was really no excuse for not having enough vaccine at the right time this year," he said.
Although vaccinations don't provide fail safe protection from influenza, physicians say they are important for preventing contraction of the illness and for reducing the severity of its symptoms.
"A lot more people should be vaccinated," Khattab said. "They work as an important prophylactic against the disease and can help in many other ways."
He believes there should be a greater government push for vaccination in the Kingdom than what the Ministry of Health currently provides.
"The government should make it a point to vaccinate all of its employees and it should be promoting vaccinations in general. It should make them more available to the public."
The number of vaccinations for the general public is for the most part determined by the private sector in the country, with advisory consultation from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
"We provide consultation to the pharmaceutical companies here on how much to bring into the country," said Hashim Zain, the WHO representative to Jordan.
But he acknowledged that "private companies do determine their vaccine purchases [for the Kingdom] according to profit."
Kilani said that unlike developed economies, where governments more actively involve themselves in procurement of vaccinations for the public, "companies in Jordan basically base their purchases on demand from previous years with no real forecasting provided by the government."
"In my opinion," he said, "the government should get more involved to protect the public from the flu, like it got involved in protecting people against the measles and mumps."
Good health habits for preventing the flu
The single best way to prevent the flu is to get vaccinated each year, but good health habits and antiviral medications are other measures that can help protect against the flu.
? Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.
? If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.
? Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.
? Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs.
? Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
? Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.
Cold vs. flu
? What is the difference between a cold and the flu?
The flu and the common cold are both respiratory illnesses but are caused by different viruses. Because these two types of illnesses have similar flu-like symptoms, it can be difficult to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone. In general, the flu is worse than the common cold, and symptoms such as fever, body aches, extreme tiredness, and dry cough are more common and intense. Colds are usually milder than the flu. People with colds are more likely to have a runny or stuffy nose. Colds generally do not result in serious health problems, such as pneumonia, bacterial infections or hospitalisation.
? How can you tell the difference between a cold and the flu?
Because colds and flu share many symptoms, it can be difficult (or even impossible) to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone. Special tests that usually must be done within the first few days of illness can be carried out, when needed, to tell if a person has the flu.
Source: Centre for Disease Control
http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=1093136472#top
Jordan Times - 17/12/2006
(MENAFN - Jordan Times) AMMAN ? The availability of influenza vaccinations has failed to keep pace with demand this year as the Kingdom experiences one of its worst flu epidemics in recent memory, according to physicians.
The dearth of vaccines, they say, occurred this October and early November and was largely a result of a surge in demand by citizens.
Minister of Health Saad Kharabsheh referred to the influenza situation in the country as an "epidemic," with a conspicuously larger number of people falling ill.
The symptoms of this year's strain, which are lasting longer than usual and are more intense, include a sore throat, achy joints, fever, and an unusual occurrence of "temporary asthma-like side effects."
Dr. Ahmad Irani, an internist in Amman, said he has treated three times the number of flu stricken patients this year. "My patients say this is the worst flu they have had in their lives."
Doctors have also confirmed that employees are taking as many as six to seven days off work because of the intensity of the virus.
The president of the Jordan Thoracic Society Dr. Khamis Khattab said: "I don't know how many more are being treated in the hospital this year, but more are admitting themselves because the severity of their illness and complications are acute compared to previous flu seasons." He speculated that this year's flu "could be a new virus."
According to Bassem Hijjawi, director of disease control at the Ministry of Health, the government lacks the means to make accurate estimates of influenza trends in the Kingdom.
"We don't know the number of flu cases here. We don't have the facilities in the country to track them," he said, adding: "We don't know the actual size of the problem ? it's bigger than we anticipated."
Hijjawi said a specialist based at the US Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3 in Cairo, Egypt, had recently flown to Jordan to examine the virus and provide technical support for the ministry.
This year, 100,000 doses of vaccine were procured by the ministry and designated for certain segments of the population like the elderly, people attending the Hajj, and chronic disease patients who may be more susceptible to complications associated with influenza, Kharabsheh told The Jordan Times.
"But it's not in our plan to vaccinate the entire population," he said. "We're not giving it to every citizen, only to special parts of the population."
Dr. Zeid Kilani of Rawhi, a pharmaceutical distribution company in the Kingdom, said enough vaccines were imported to cover roughly 3 per cent of the population. "Vaccines were available in October and November, but the issue in Jordan is about growing demand," he added.
Some physicians confirmed that they ran out of vaccinations in October and were unable to meet patient demand.
"I received phone calls from hundreds of patients demanding vaccines for their families, but they were not made ready," said Irani.
He said more are available for purchase now, but the "optimal time to get a vaccination had passed." The best time, he added, is at least three weeks in advance of the flu season, usually in mid October, before infections begin escalating.
Physicians suspect the recent avian flu scare has raised awareness of the importance of general immunity-boosting medications among physicians and citizens, leading more doctors to prescribe influenza vaccinations.
But Irani believes more should have been available on the market.
"There was really no excuse for not having enough vaccine at the right time this year," he said.
Although vaccinations don't provide fail safe protection from influenza, physicians say they are important for preventing contraction of the illness and for reducing the severity of its symptoms.
"A lot more people should be vaccinated," Khattab said. "They work as an important prophylactic against the disease and can help in many other ways."
He believes there should be a greater government push for vaccination in the Kingdom than what the Ministry of Health currently provides.
"The government should make it a point to vaccinate all of its employees and it should be promoting vaccinations in general. It should make them more available to the public."
The number of vaccinations for the general public is for the most part determined by the private sector in the country, with advisory consultation from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
"We provide consultation to the pharmaceutical companies here on how much to bring into the country," said Hashim Zain, the WHO representative to Jordan.
But he acknowledged that "private companies do determine their vaccine purchases [for the Kingdom] according to profit."
Kilani said that unlike developed economies, where governments more actively involve themselves in procurement of vaccinations for the public, "companies in Jordan basically base their purchases on demand from previous years with no real forecasting provided by the government."
"In my opinion," he said, "the government should get more involved to protect the public from the flu, like it got involved in protecting people against the measles and mumps."
Good health habits for preventing the flu
The single best way to prevent the flu is to get vaccinated each year, but good health habits and antiviral medications are other measures that can help protect against the flu.
? Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.
? If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.
? Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.
? Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs.
? Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
? Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.
Cold vs. flu
? What is the difference between a cold and the flu?
The flu and the common cold are both respiratory illnesses but are caused by different viruses. Because these two types of illnesses have similar flu-like symptoms, it can be difficult to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone. In general, the flu is worse than the common cold, and symptoms such as fever, body aches, extreme tiredness, and dry cough are more common and intense. Colds are usually milder than the flu. People with colds are more likely to have a runny or stuffy nose. Colds generally do not result in serious health problems, such as pneumonia, bacterial infections or hospitalisation.
? How can you tell the difference between a cold and the flu?
Because colds and flu share many symptoms, it can be difficult (or even impossible) to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone. Special tests that usually must be done within the first few days of illness can be carried out, when needed, to tell if a person has the flu.
Source: Centre for Disease Control
http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=1093136472#top
