Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2009/08/20/200908200050.asp
'Flu development alarmingly fast'
The two deaths from the H1N1 flu virus last weekend happened just five days after symptoms first appeared.
An advisory committee meeting was convened Tuesday to confirm the exact cause of the deaths and discuss medical characteristics of the disease.
Two people, including a man in his 50s who returned from Thailand early this month and a 63-year-old woman who had no overseas experience or links to confirmed flu patients, died Saturday and Sunday, respectively, becoming the nation's first fatalities from the disease.
"The two people died just five days after flu symptoms first showed. Medical staff who treated those patients said they were surprised by the quick development of the disease," said Jun Byung-yul, a senior official at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"The findings show how important the first response at hospitals is," he added.
According to the attending experts, the flu virus caused inflammation in their hearts one and a half days after their first flu symptoms. This meant their hearts could not function properly, causing acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Similar medical examination results were said to be found in other countries.
After the meeting, the disease control center decided to offer guidelines that recommend patients with pneumonia be tested and treated for the flu virus regardless of their disease.
Experts also discussed the effectiveness of the antiviral drug Tamiflu when patients are already suffering from the ARDS. The two people died even after the administration of Tamiflu.
However, experts agreed the treatment with Tamiflu is still required because there are some cases showing improvements in similar situations.
More than 100 additional people infected with the disease were reported yesterday. It was first time for the official number to surpass the 100 mark in a day, signaling that a pandemic is pending.
Of the total 108 cases, 82 were believed to have contracted the disease through a community-level transmission whose origin is uncertain.
As of yesterday, 2,320 people were confirmed to have contracted the virus here.
(jylee@heraldm.com)
By Lee Ji-yoon
'Flu development alarmingly fast'
The two deaths from the H1N1 flu virus last weekend happened just five days after symptoms first appeared.
An advisory committee meeting was convened Tuesday to confirm the exact cause of the deaths and discuss medical characteristics of the disease.
Two people, including a man in his 50s who returned from Thailand early this month and a 63-year-old woman who had no overseas experience or links to confirmed flu patients, died Saturday and Sunday, respectively, becoming the nation's first fatalities from the disease.
"The two people died just five days after flu symptoms first showed. Medical staff who treated those patients said they were surprised by the quick development of the disease," said Jun Byung-yul, a senior official at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"The findings show how important the first response at hospitals is," he added.
According to the attending experts, the flu virus caused inflammation in their hearts one and a half days after their first flu symptoms. This meant their hearts could not function properly, causing acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Similar medical examination results were said to be found in other countries.
After the meeting, the disease control center decided to offer guidelines that recommend patients with pneumonia be tested and treated for the flu virus regardless of their disease.
Experts also discussed the effectiveness of the antiviral drug Tamiflu when patients are already suffering from the ARDS. The two people died even after the administration of Tamiflu.
However, experts agreed the treatment with Tamiflu is still required because there are some cases showing improvements in similar situations.
More than 100 additional people infected with the disease were reported yesterday. It was first time for the official number to surpass the 100 mark in a day, signaling that a pandemic is pending.
Of the total 108 cases, 82 were believed to have contracted the disease through a community-level transmission whose origin is uncertain.
As of yesterday, 2,320 people were confirmed to have contracted the virus here.
(jylee@heraldm.com)
By Lee Ji-yoon