H1N1 claims 6 lives in UAE

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Abu Dhabi: Six H1N1 deaths were confirmed in a meeting Tuesday between the Ministry of Health (MoH)Ministry of Health (MoH) and the media.

Even though health officials did not want to reveal the exact number of H1N1 cases across the UAE, Dr Hanif Hassan, Minister of Health, confirmed that six people have died from the virus, explaining that each of these cases either had a medical history or were very young or old.

"The last two cases who died from H1N1 included a 75-year-old man who had diabetes, and was in the intensive care unit for quite some time and an 8-month-old child. Previous deaths were among a pregnant woman and another person who suffered from a heart condition.

"People less than five years old or above 65, pregnant women and those with underlying conditions stand a higher risk than others," Hassan said. "We are transparent about the numbers but cannot share details with the media due to patients confidentiality and out of respect for deceased and their families."

The MoHMoH in accordance with regulations set by the World health Organisation will be purchasing the vaccine in order of priority to approximately 10 to 15 per cent of the UAE population.

Dr Ali Ahmad Bin Shakar, MoHMoH Director General and Chairman of the National Committee for Combating Swine Flu, said the ministry remains unsure of when the vaccine will be arriving in the UAE, but once they do, priority will be given to high-risk individuals. "We will give priority to those working in public areas such as hospitals, airports and schools. Not to mention patients who suffer from underlying diseases such as renal failure, steroid, hepatic diseases, or among children under five or adults above 65 years."

Apart from giving schools H1N1 precaution training, the MoHMoH is in constant contact with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and education councils to ensure staff members and students are well aware of H1N1-preventive measures.

Bin Shakar added that isolation rooms are on standby in both private and public schools in case of an H1N1 outbreak. "The ministry is currently looking into designating isolation rooms across universities too."

Saqr Gobash Saeed Gobash, Minister of Labour, said the Ministry of Labour (MoL)Ministry of Labour (MoL) will coordinate with the Abu Dhabi Health Services CompanyAbu Dhabi Health Services Company next week to organise an H1N1 campaign among workers.

Dr Mohammad Mattar Al Ka'abi, Director General of Islamic Affairs and Endowment (Awqaf), said after Ramadan the MoHMoH and the Awqaf will be meeting to discuss procedures and regulations regarding Haj pilgrims.
Mosques across the UAE have also been requested to stress the importance of personal hygiene.

"When someone has a normal flu or cold, and are out in the public, they warn their friends or those who are about to get close to them not to kiss them because they have a cold, and we're talking about a normal cold.

So why blow swine flu out of proportion and make a big issue out of it, just practice caution while out in the open, that's all it takes," Dr Mahmoud Fikri, CEO of Health Policies of Emirates Health Authority, stressed.

The first cases of H1N1 arouse between 1917, but the world did not learn of H1N1 till the 1930s, which is when H1N1 was labelled.

"But in 2009 H1N1 started to spread fast, simply because the world did not hear of it as much as H5N1 or Avian flu, and we started to witness the first few people who worked on farms with pigs affected with H1N1," he explained, adding that the first few H1N1 cases arrived from Mexico and parts of Europe.

Apart from the regular swine flu symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue), Ferki warned that if a person starts developing diarrhoea, experiences lack of breathing or has a high temperature, clinical observation is vital.

He also added that being prescribed Tamiflu in a timely manner is essential. "If Tamiflu is taken within 24 hours of discovering the virus it will be 100 per cent effective. If taken the next day, its effectiveness will drop to 50-60 per cent. If taken after that, the chances of being cured are minimal," said Fekri.

No Need to panic
The health minister stressed that the H1N1 virus is weak. "The danger lies in how fast the virus spreads on a global level. That's why the media along with all concerned authorities across the UAE need to work hand in hand to help increase awareness regarding H1N1 prevention."

In comparison to Avian flu, where the death rate goes up from 40 to 50 per cent, the H1N1 death rate across the world is moderately low, stressed the minister.

"There is an over reaction, and there's no need to panic. My message to the public is to simply cool down. Also people should not depend on the health ministry as much as they do, there's also the World Health Organization website that offers up to date information on H1N1. The public should continuously educate themselves regarding the condition, and that will help them worry less," concluded Shakar.

During the meeting a senior journalist said that due to lack of information offered to reporters regarding H1N1 across the UAE, rumours started to develop.

"For instance we were not sure if the Filipino School in Sharjah had one or 80 swine flu cases because the concerned authority and/or official did not provide us with the correct information. Transparency with full details, including statistics is vital in our community for both parties, the media and the Ministry of HealthMinistry of Health."

Another senior journalist also discussed lack of transparency him and his colleagues face while trying to gather information from the Ministry of HealthMinistry of Health and the National Committee for Combating Swine Flu.

"As a result, most if not all reporters are not able to reach correct information from the required official and/or source; how do you expect us to communicate accurately if you do not answer our queries," he asked.

In response, the health minister, Hanif Hassan Ali agreed that lack of information and transparency between the two parties does result in rumours.

"There was only one H1N1 case in the Filipino School, and that isn't a rumour. We are currently in the process of designating a spokesperson for the media. This will help reduce miscommunication between the ministry, the National Committee for Combating Swine flu and the media.

-- With inputs from Abdullah Rasheed, Abu Dhabi Editor

By Dina El Shammaa

© Gulf News 2009