VELLORE: “H1N1 infection is treatable and curable. There is absolutely no need to panic,” is the message from the Christian Medical College Hospital (CMCH) here. Infectious Diseases Specialist Dr O C Abraham and Medical Superintendent of the Hospital Dr Jacob Jose on Tuesday, while dispelling fear, assured that the hospital had enough stock of the anti-virus tablets and vaccines supplied by the Centre, for free treatment of patients infected with swine flu. “We are trying to dispel fears about the onset of the H1N1 pandemic,” the doctors said and added that only a small section of infected people who are either children, senior citizens, pregnant women or those suffering from lung, heart, kidney diseases, diabetics or ailing from surgeries, develop complications. According to them, influenza (of which H1N1 is a variety) affect people all through the year. Most people who are infected during specific seasons such as after monsoons, get well by themselves or with basic medication. Once infected, people develop immunity against this variety of influenza. But a different variety may attack anytime, they said.He noted that while vaccine against H1N1 is available and supplied by the government free of cost to designated hospitals like CMC, it has to be taken every year since new vaccines are needed to tackle the new strains of H1N1 which keep mutating. Quoting WHO, the doctors said that more details about pattern of infection of H1N1 is now available which showed that the circulation had come down.
Comments
0 comment