H1N1 Influenza Virus May Be Re-Emerging : Thai Ministry Warns

[webfact]

2009 H1N1 INFLUENZA

Virus may be re-emerging : ministry warns

By PONGPHON SARNSAMAK

THE NATION

The Public Health Ministry has warned of a widespread return of the 2009 flu virus after reports that two people in Lop Buri and Nonthaburi provinces died from the infection of the type-A (H1N1) virus last week, raising the death toll for this year to 57.

About 260 people have been hit with the flu-like symptoms in the last two weeks, lifting the number of infected cases this year to 8,442.

Recent cases have been reported in 20 provinces between August 15-28, including : Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Nakhon Pathom, Samut Prakan, Lop Buri, Sa Kaew, Sing Buri, Prachin Buri, Rayong, Chon Buri, Ayutthaya, Uthai Thani, Sukhothai, Phayao, Nakhon Sawan, Chiang Rai, Maha Sarakham, Roi Et,Si Sa Ket, Khon Kaen, Kalasin,Udon Thani, Nakhon Ratchasima, Pattani, and Songkhla.

"We found the number of infected cases from type-A (H1N1) influenza virus has been rising continuously in the northern and north-eastern regions," Department of Disease Control's director-general Dr Manit Teeratantikanont said.

According to a flu infection surveillance report during August 22-28 from 710 hospitals across the country, 232 hospitals in 68 provinces saw an increase in the number of patients with influenza-like illness to over 10 percent, exceeding the standard ratio of 5 percent or lower.

In Nakhon Sawan, a group of 228 young monks in a temple at Tak Fa district developed the flu-like symptoms during August 13 - 26, and 36 of them were sent to undergo medical treatment. The remainder received the anti-viral drug Tamiflu.

The hospital's medical staff confirmed the infection was of the type-A (H1N1) virus. Public health officials vaccinated the healthy monks and urged them to clean their accommodation.

In Nakhon Ratchasima, 49 medical workers at the local hospital developed flu-like symptoms and throat swab tests showed that 19 had been infected with the 2009 flu virus.

Four were surgery room staff. All patients were given Tamiflu as the hospital conducted a vaccination campaign. No new cases of infection have been reported so far.

In Bangkok, 3,563 students at a school in the Sikan-Don Muang area, have contracted the virus since the end of July. Most were primary school students. They were admitted to Vibhavadi General Hospital and Mongkutwattana General Hospital.

Sample test results showed that 10 Pathom 1 students were infected with the type B influenza virus and six students from Pathom 3 had the 2009 flu virus.

In Sukhothai, 33 police students from a police camp at Muang district's Tam bon Wang Tra Kor had flu-like symptoms and five were admitted to Sukhothai hospital. All are said to be getting better.

The 2009 flu virus spread through Thailand in April that year and infected 30,336 cases and killed 197.

In July,the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced the end of the type-A (H1N1) pandemic after it had spread to 214 countries and killed over 18,449 people around the world.

-- The Nation 2010-09-06

[shaunoro]

It's been going around again for a while now. Most of my Thai family have had it and recovered.

[geriatrickid]

It's been going around again for a while now. Most of my Thai family have had it and recovered.

Are you certain? Did the lab test come back and identify the virus?

(Not being a smart ass, but there have been problems with lab tests around the world. In the early stages, there was an assumption that some strains were H1N1, when they were not. This was made worse when most western countries stopped doing the lab work as the vaccination program took hold, as it was seen as a waste of scarce resources. And in Thailand, well, Thailand is Thailand.)

[mistitikimikis]

Yesterday one patient deceased in Symphaet Hospital, Ramintra

[sirchai]

It's been going around again for a while now. Most of my Thai family have had it and recovered.

Are you certain? Did the lab test come back and identify the virus?

(Not being a smart ass, but there have been problems with lab tests around the world. In the early stages, there was an assumption that some strains were H1N1, when they were not. This was made worse when most western countries stopped doing the lab work as the vaccination program took hold, as it was seen as a waste of scarce resources. And in Thailand, well, Thailand is Thailand.)

I'm recovering from some surgery here in Germany. I've met a guy here in this hospital who almost died because the tab test was negative. But he had the virus and had to go through hel_l to recover, a few weeks in a koma.....and this in a so called "developed" country.

[mistitikimikis]

It's been going around again for a while now. Most of my Thai family have had it and recovered.

Are you certain? Did the lab test come back and identify the virus?

(Not being a smart ass, but there have been problems with lab tests around the world. In the early stages, there was an assumption that some strains were H1N1, when they were not. This was made worse when most western countries stopped doing the lab work as the vaccination program took hold, as it was seen as a waste of scarce resources. And in Thailand, well, Thailand is Thailand.)

I'm recovering from some surgery here in Germany. I've met a guy here in this hospital who almost died because the tab test was negative. But he had the virus and had to go through hel_l to recover, a few weeks in a koma.....and this in a so called "developed" country.

well, here they did "test" the nose-mucus: "sabai sabai, here a pack of medicines, no H1N1, just flu, kap baan!". Two days later back with high fever; now two recovering, two in hospital and my wife starts coughing.

[sirchai]

It's been going around again for a while now. Most of my Thai family have had it and recovered.

Are you certain? Did the lab test come back and identify the virus?

(Not being a smart ass, but there have been problems with lab tests around the world. In the early stages, there was an assumption that some strains were H1N1, when they were not. This was made worse when most western countries stopped doing the lab work as the vaccination program took hold, as it was seen as a waste of scarce resources. And in Thailand, well, Thailand is Thailand.)

I'm recovering from some surgery here in Germany. I've met a guy here in this hospital who almost died because the tab test was negative. But he had the virus and had to go through hel_l to recover, a few weeks in a koma.....and this in a so called "developed" country.

well, here they did "test" the nose-mucus: "sabai sabai, here a pack of medicines, no H1N1, just flu, kap baan!". Two days later back with high fever; now two recovering, two in hospital and my wife starts coughing.

Guess they didn't test them. Sabai dee maak kap Baan leo leo....some docs don't know much about it.

[jfchandler]

I had a source in the Thai medical community tell me a week ago that hospitals around BKK were filling up with patients believed to have or possible to have H1N1.... And my response was, Hey, I haven't heard anything about it on the news and I thought the WHO had declared the thing was done...

Ooops.... I guess the news in Thailand sometimes is a bit slow in making its way out.... And who knows what the WHO knows.....

Sounds like it's back to wearing the hospital mask when out and around, again... What fun.

[mistitikimikis]

I had a source in the Thai medical community tell me a week ago that hospitals around BKK were filling up with patients believed to have or possible to have H1N1.... And my response was, Hey, I haven't heard anything about it on the news and I thought the WHO had declared the thing was done...

Ooops.... I guess the news in Thailand sometimes is a bit slow in making its way out.... And who knows what the WHO knows.....

Sounds like it's back to wearing the hospital mask when out and around, again... What fun.

see my topic:

[jfchandler]

Thanks the referral to your other post.. Very interesting, and certainly confirms what I had heard from my source...

I hadn't seen the other thread until your referral to it...

[247lies]

Hi,

We are ill at home with some nasty flu stuff. As my partner has bad asthma she went to the hospital to see whether it was swine flu.

I'm wondering why the doctor told her that she has a regular flu, gave her a flu jab shot right away in the hospital and sent her home with some pills called GPO-A flu???

As far as a quick search goes, this is swine flu medication. Is that correct?

Also on the fist visit she made two days prior, the doctor laughed when she said she wondered if she had caught swine flu. She had thought this as someone at work (a school) had it about two weeks ago (confirmed by a test). On the first visit she was sent home with antibiotics (amoxi 500mg twice a day) - no surprise there

Any thoughts?

[jfchandler]

From a variety of sources, I haven't gotten the impression that the majority of the Thai medical establishment is particularly keen on, or skilled at, trying to distinguish between regular seasonal flu and H1N1...

There was a point, heading toward the peak of the prior run of H1N1, where the world medical establishment told folks to stop worrying about and taking the time trying to confirm the diagnosis and just concentrate on treating, with the assumption it was H1N1...

Where the Thai medical community is on that issue today, I have not a clue... But providing antibiotics for flu-symptoms in the midst of a resurgent H1N1 epidemic doesn't give one cause for great confidence.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

It's been going around again for a while now. Most of my Thai family have had it and recovered.

Are you certain? Did the lab test come back and identify the virus?

(Not being a smart ass, but there have been problems with lab tests around the world.

In my case: absolutely. My wife got the test done and was diagnosed with H1N1. Got generic Tamiflu and was better a day or two later. Nobody else in my house got it which is just as well as it includes a 2 month old baby..

We were careful sleeping in different rooms and having the MIL take care of the kids. I was out drinking myself of course so I dodged it as well.

[mistitikimikis]

We have the experience (5 persons within one week) to be sent home with medicines when not very heavy coughing and the fever isn't (too) high and after going back to the hospital (takes about one or two days) when the fever is strong increasing and the headache is allmost not bearable anymore they do a test and make photos. After that follows hospitalization (if place available!).

The test seems to be negative when there are not enough symptoms.

Edited September 7, 2010 by mistitikimikis

[Thai at Heart]

Either it is standard procedure for this time of year, or someone has let the companies on the industrial estates know already.

2 days, 4 meetings, 4 temperature checks in 4 different companies.