Coughs And Sneezes - Have We Forgotten The Flu Outbreak?

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 2 (Bernama) -- A man sneezes hard. He uses neither tissues nor handkerchief to cover the sneeze, despite the presence of many people around.
Another man coughs repeatedly without any attempt to cover his mouth. Many individuals sit down for lunch without washing their hands.
That is the scenario which this writer came across recently at a food court in a shopping complex here.
A shopper who happened to be there, posed a rather cynical query to this writer:
"Have Malaysians forgotten the 2009 flu outbreak in the country caused by the H1N1 (virus)?"
The H1N1 virus caused an influenza epidemic known as Influenza A, or swine flu, in 2009.
Based on the Health Ministry's statistics, between 15 May and 11 Aug that year, the country reported more than 2,253 cases of this flu, including cases brought from other nations, such as United States and Australia.
The first local transmission was reported on 17 June, 2009.
As of Aug 21, 2009, the unofficial number of cases in Malaysia was reported to be 5,876.
The first death related to the A (H1N1) influenza virus was reported on 23 July 2009. Since then, there have been 78 deaths reported in the country.

SWINE FLU
That episode saw Malaysians rushing to pharmacies to buy surgical face masks and hand sanitisers -- to the extent that the pharmacies ran out of these most sought-after items.
Some unscrupulous parties resorted to selling surgical face masks at RM5 each, as against the normal price of 20 sen each. Supermarkets as well as pharmacies reported brisk sale of hand sanitisers.
Maybe Malaysians have forgotten the health hazards brought about by the swine flu.
According to health authorities the swine flu virus, first detected in the United States in April 2009, spread the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread.
On 11 June, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that a pandemic of H1N1 flu was underway worldwide (pandemic means occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population).

BE ON THE GUARD
Respiratory diseases lecturer Dr C.L. Ting said flu viruses spread mainly from person to person through coughing, sneezing or talking by people with influenza.
"Sometimes people may become infected by touching something such as a surface or object with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.
"In seasonal flu, certain people are at high risk of serious complications. Among them are people 65 years and older, children younger than five, pregnant women, and those with certain chronic medical conditions," said Dr Ting.
He said some people are more likely to get flu complications that result in being hospitalised, and occasionally in death.
"Pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections and ear infections are examples of flu-related complications. The flu can also make chronic health problems worse.
"For example, people with asthma may experience asthma attacks while they have the flu, and people with chronic congestive heart failure may have a worsening of this condition," he explained.

AVOID INFECTING OTHERS
Dr Ting advised people to avoid infecting others.
He said: "The best thing anyone can do is to wash their hands. Handwashing helps prevent the spread of airborne flu viruses and other respiratory disease.
Handwashing with soap is among the most effective and inexpensive ways to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. Unclean hands are a vehicle to spread germs.
"Ironically, most of us know this but many fail to practice it. It is the droplets from coughing and sneezing that spread flu. That is why you should cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze.
"Observe personal hygiene by frequently washing your hands and closing the mouth when coughing. Surgical face masks are good in covering the cough or sneeze, as well as from getting the droplets from other people," he said.
And if you happen to be sick with flu, then it is better to stay home as the chances of infecting others are minimised.

HAND WASHING
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said handwashing with soap is among the most effective and inexpensive ways to prevent communicable diseases such as influenza, colds and coughs, as well as incidences of hand, foot and mouth diseases.
It also can go a long way toward reducing the incidences of gastrointestinal infections, including diarhoea, as well as respiratory infections.
"Unclean hands are the vector for spreading germs," he was reported as saying by the media.