PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERNS, COUPLED WITH POLITICAL PRESSURE, HAVE RESULTED IN A MAD SCRAMBLE TO APPROVE A VACCINE FOR THE AH1N1 VIRUS, AKA ‘SWINE FLU’. BUT IS THE NEW DRUG SAFE? MALTATODAY INVESTIGATES THE PANDEMIC VIRUS, AND DISCOVERS THAT ITS BENEFITS MAY NOT BE AS GREAT AS BELIEVED... BUT SIGNIFICANTLY, NEITHER ARE THE RISKS
When the outbreak of a new strain of H1N1 influenza, commonly known as swine flu, was first detected in Mexico in April 2009, it transpired that the epidemic had been ongoing for a number of months before.
Attempts to contain the virus proved to be unsuccessful. By June, the World Health Organisation stopped counting cases of people diagnosed with the virus and declared a pandemic.
Come June 30, 11 people out of a group of 24 returning to Malta from Girona were showing symptoms of swine flu. On 2 July, local reports confirmed that four out of the 11 resulted positive for the virus.
All confirmed cases remained at home under voluntary quarantine. Malta had been the last EU country to register a swine flu case, even if by then the WHO had confirmed over 87,000 cases and 343 deaths worldwide.
By 3 July, the number of confirmed cases grew to 16, including an eight-year-old girl from Scotland and an English baby aged just four months. The largest number of cases were confirmed in Gharb, the smallest village on the islands.
On 6 July, reports said that the cases reported had been mild and although 24 cases were confirmed in total, only two were admitted to hospital.
In response to the pandemic, the Maltese government pledged €3.5 million for antiviral supplies, protective gear for hospital workers, the stockpiling of alcohol based handrubs and an information campaign to raise awareness in preventing the spreading of the disease.
National airline Air Malta had also registered delays due to cases where planes had to be disinfected as a precaution. Even the Catholic Church in Malta advised parish priests to only allow Holy Communion by hand, in order to prevent the disease from spreading.
An 82-year-old woman, who suffered from chronic heart and respiratory problems, was on 18 August the first Maltese national to have succumbed to the disease. Due to her health conditions, medical experts had declared the woman as belonging to a vulnerable group that is likely to be affected fatally by the virus.
Only shortly afterwards, a 63-year-old man also died after contracting the disease. It was said that even he suffered from chronic health problems.
On 24 August, a third case was confirmed when a 31-year-old Spanish tourist was found dead in a Bugibba apartment, after a swab test resulted positive for H1N1.
On 3 January, popular radio personality Justin Chircop became the fourth person to have passed away as a result of the disease.
Mild symptoms may include fever, sore throat, cough, headache, muscle or joint pains, and nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Those at risk of a more severe infection include: pregnant women, asthmatics, diabetics, those with obesity, heart disease, the immuno-compromised, and children with neurodevelopmental conditions.
A small fraction of patients, even if previously healthy, may develop viral pneumonia which increases breathing difficulty some three to six days after the initial onset of the flu.
Swine flu transmitted through respiratory droplets, just like the common flu. Symptoms last from four to six days.
According to the latest WHO figures, a total of 13,277 people died of swine flu worldwide so far, but there is no doubt that unreported swine flu deaths are much higher in number.
Initially, the government administered Tamiflu against the virus, until the WHO determined the swine flu vaccine as safe. Early last week, some 100,000 doses of the vaccine arrived in Malta, leading to hundreds of chronic patients and pregnant women flocking to health centres to receive the immunisation.
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