Don't panic, say flu officials

HEALTH ministry officials held a conference in Juffair this week to dispel some of the myths surrounding swine flu and to urge the general public not to panic.

There have been no deaths in the kingdom to date and it appears that all 180 victims have caught the illness whilst abroad and have travelled with it into Bahrain.

A spokesman said checks had been put in place to try and control the spread of the virus. "The only cases we are seeing are the ones coming from abroad."

Preventive measures introduced at the airport, for example, such as heat cameras and clinical check-ups have proved effective in identifying many cases.

The ministry is following World Health Organisation guidelines and also has a four point plan to tackle the situation. It aims to ensure early discovery of carriers, give medication immediately, isolate and supervise them and attempt to prevent fatalities.

Medics expect to see an increase in sufferers when the large number of holidaymakers return to the kingdom and say they have an adequate provision of medication.

Swine flu, or to give it its correct name 'influenza A virus subtype H1N1' is an acute respiratory disease, transmitted between humans, that was identified in April this year.

Unlike the seasonal influenza which occurs every year, this is a new virus so humans have little or no immunity to it and there is, so far, no vaccine, although one is expected to be available in October.

Symptoms include fever, cough, headache, muscle and joint pain, sore throat, runny nose and sometimes vomiting and diarrhoea. The severity of the disease ranges from very mild symptoms to severe illnesses which can result in death. However, the majority of those who contract the virus experience the milder disease and recover.

Officials are considering ordering private schools to remain closed until after Ramadan.

Staff and students could also be advised to stay away from school for at least a week after returning to Bahrain from overseas to ensure they have not contracted the illness and have yet to show symptoms.

The best way to protect yourself and others is to follow good hygiene rules, particularly using clean tissues whenever you cough and sneeze and if you experience any of the symptoms seek medical advice as soon as possible.

In neighbouring Saudi Arabia a disabled girl has died from the illness, pushing the kingdom's flu death toll up to seven. The 12-year-old, who died two days after being admitted to hospital in Al Hasa, in Eastern Province, was suffering from an underdeveloped central nervous system. Earlier, the ministry announced the death of a Sri Lankan man and a Saudi teenager from swine flu.

The ministry said that total A(H1N1) flu infections in Saudi Arabia were nearing 600. The government said it was doubling surveillance efforts as the peak season approaches for the umrah, or lesser pilgrimage, to the Muslim holy places of Mecca and Medina.

Hundreds of thousands of people from around the world are expected to undertake the umrah during the fasting month of Ramadan which starts later in August, heightening fears of the virus spreading.

Another two million or more are expected for the full pilgrimage, or haj, which begins in late November.

Iran has imposed a ban on its nationals making the pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia during Ramadan.

*Swine Flu Health Hotline, call 17243183, 17246769, 17277248 or email swineflu@health.gov.bh