Liow: Anti-viral treatment for high-risk groups

Star: PETALING JAYA: High-risk groups, including children and pregnant women, must be given anti-viral treatment if they go to hospitals with influenza-like symptoms.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the latest directive was made because these groups must be treated fast although they had yet to be confirmed with the influenza A (H1N1) virus.
“Waiting to be tested and waiting for the results could result in a delay in treatment,” said Liow, adding that the test results can be out within six hours.
To improve the identification of patients infected with the virus, Liow said a new set of guidelines would be issued to doctors on how to “increase the index of suspicion of patients with influenza A (H1N1)”.
On a doctor from the Malacca Hospital who has the virus, Liow said all doctors, as frontliners, must take the stipulated precautionary measures.
The spread of H1N1 virus could not be stopped and was inevitably in the community now and doctors for instance could also get infected outside their workplace, he added.
Liow said a meeting between ministries and all agencies involved would be held today to come up with more measures to curb the spread of the virus in the community.

In Putrajaya, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said 17 new cases were reported yesterday, which he described as sporadic or isolated.
He said seven of the new patients were treated at isolation wards, one at the intensive care unit while nine received outpatient treatment.
The total number of H1N1 cases reported in the country stands at 1,446.
Dr Ismail said 1,408 patients who contracted the flu had recovered and only 29 people were still being warded in hospital, adding that eight of them were warded in ICU as they were high-risk patients who were obese, pregnant and had low immunity.
In Ipoh, state Health Committee chairman Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon said two new H1N1 cases were reported yesterday. They have recovered and were discharged from the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital.