Two more test swine flu positive

7 August: Two more Bhutanese have been confirmed positive for the pandemic influenza A H1N1 virus on July 27, taking the total number to six.

One of the confirmed cases is a 65-year-old man from Thimphu. His sample, according to records with the influenza-testing centre at the Thimphu referral hospital, was taken on July 24.

“He has no history of travel. He has a large family but none of them have the virus,” said the hospital’s medical superintendent Dr Pandup Tshering. “Some of his family members are abroad but they haven’t returned.”

Dr Pandup said that he had some problem with his lungs. “He’s clinically okay but, since it’s a high risk age, he’s undergoing treatment for H1N1.”

The other is a 30-year-old man, whom the hospital cannot trace.

Influenza A (H1N1) is a highly contagious disease and can turn severe in people suffering from diabetes, heart diseases, and chronic smokers’ diseases like bronchitis and lung diseases and in pregnant women.

Meanwhile, the influenza-testing centre is also seeing an increase in the number of people coming for tests. “We get about 10-15 people everyday,” said Dr Pandup.

According to the world health organisation (WHO), the pandemic has spread to all continents. As of July 31, 162,380 cases have been reported with 1,154 deaths in 168 countries.

source: kuensel