Chinese medical personnel prepare swine flu medicine at a hospital in Hefei in eastern China’s Anhui Province. Photo by AFP
Nine cases of swine flu H1N1 have been recorded by the health department of central Binh Dinh Province over the past month, with four deaths.
Le Quang Hung, director of the Binh Dinh Department of Health, on Monday said the number of swine flu H1N1 cases that turn severe, even leading to death, has been on the rise over the past two weeks.
Details of the dead patients have not been revealed.
The Binh Dinh health department has recommended medical facilities to isolate suspected flu cases, and informed districts’ medical centers and centers for disease control about such cases.
The health department said people should not be too worried about the flu.
“The infectivity is not great. However, elderly people, those who are immunocompromised and those with underlying conditions can suffer from complications if they get infected with the flu and do not receive prompt complications,” the health department said.
Those with H1N1 can suffer symptoms similar to other types of flu, including fever, chills, throat pain, headache, runny noses and fatigue.
People with H1N1 are advised to be administer antiviral medication promptly, and severe cases need to go under intensive care to minimize death risks. Those at high risks should take the preventive drug Tamiflu. Children from six months to eight years old, those with chronic diseases and elderly people above 65 should be vaccinated.
H1N1 was first detected in Mexico in 2009. The disease soon spread to several countries and territories, including Vietnam. Vietnam detected the first H1N1 case in May 2009, with most cases experiencing mild symptoms, and certain cases with severe complications, especially among children, the elderly and those with underlying conditions.
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