Swiss strain of flu virus not so scary, doctors say

Disease Control Department (DCD) chief Dr Sopon Mekthon told a press conference yesterday the department’s “war room” to monitor influenza found that the 2009 flu was the severest because it made 10,235 people ill (926 of who died) around the world this year.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong reported 383 flu patients, 283 of who died, Sopon said. Hong Kong patient data from hospitals showed that 96 per cent were caused by the AH3N2 strain.
Thailand saw a seasonal outbreak of flu from January to this month but the situation wasn’t severe; only eight deaths out of the 10,032 flu patients from January 1 to February 23 compared to 24 deaths at the same period last year.
Flu patients in Thailand peaked last month, 68 per cent of which were the AH3N2, 24 per cent were BH3N2, and 4 per cent AH1N1. He urged people not to panic, saying AH3N2 wasn’t as severe as the AH1N1.
Dr Opas Karnkavinpong, the DCD deputy, said virus monitoring by the Department of Medical Sciences, the Bureau of Epidemiology, and the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences had not found any mutation or drug resistance yet.
Besides vaccinations for 3.5 million referred to above as being people “at risk”, Opas said they would campaign for flu patients to get sick leave and wear face masks until they recover.
He urged those with severe flu symptoms including panting to see a doctor within 48 hours.

GPO to stock up on medication
A Public Health Ministry spokesman said the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) was instructed to stock ingredients to produce 30 million Oseltamivir pills for distribution to hospitals and clinics.
In related news, the director of Siriraj Medical School, Dr Prasit Watanapa, said the hospital had a total of nine people with flu – five patients and four medical personnel.
The latter group had recovered and been released to go home. Of the five patients, one succumbed to a bacteria infection and two others were under close watch.
Test results to find the flu strain should come out today (March 3).
The hospital has implemented standard droplet precaution measures, it said, and a new vaccine would arrive late next month. But the old formula flu shot (against H3N2 Texas strain) could still be useful in alleviating flu symptoms.
Meanwhile, Dr Yong Poovorawan of Chulalongkorn University’s Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology, said on Facebook that the H3N2 flu virus Switzerland strain that has made people ill since last month was on decline.
People with a flu-like illness should be treated with Oseltamivir without waiting results to indicate what strain they had.
He said the vaccine should be given to “at risk’ people before the rainy |season.