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Carolyn Hong
Malaysia Bureau Chief
H1N1 paranoia or practicality?
August 17, 2009 Monday, 04:08 PM
Carolyn Hong wonders if her sore throat warrants a visit to the doctor in the face of H1n1.
IN KUALA LUMPUR WHEN my throat started to itch on Sunday, I actually toyed with the idea of going to the doctor. I was feeling a tad paranoid about the Influenza A (H1N1) epidemic as there seems to be a sudden spate of flu-related deaths in Malaysia. The number is up to 64 now, with two or three new cases a day. I didn’t go to the doctor after all. The sore throat vanished by the morning, and I guess I was instead infected by the low-level fear (or awareness, if you want to take a positive view) of H1N1. In recent weeks, more and more Malaysians are walking around with face masks. Two weeks ago, at a 20,000-strong street demonstration against the Internal Security Act, I was nearly stampeded by hundreds of mask-wearing protestors. They were at a higher risk of being tear-gassed, but took precautions against swine flu. On Monday, top Barisan Nasional leaders including deputy premier Muhyiddin Yassin wore masks to the nomination of candidates for the Permatang Pasir by-election. Many parents are so fearful that they rush their young children to hospital at the first sign of a spiked temperature, and want the government to close schools for a spell. At the moment, schools are only being closed on a case-by-case basis. The fear is understandable. Bombarded by so much news, it’s hard to make sense of the seriousness of the epidemic in Malaysia, and whether it is likely to get worse. It is not helped by scary newspaper headlines claiming that up to 5 million Malaysians may catch the virus (that’s 20 per cent of the population!). A doctor (and Gerakan politician) Hsu Dar Ren tried to give a coherent explanation on his blog. He said that most of the flu cases now are H1N1, with the vast majority showing mild symptoms. But these don’t get always get detected. But because they go uncounted, the mortality rate seemed extraordinarily high. On Sunday, Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai confirmed it. He said the number of actual cases would be about 20 times that of confirmed cases. That would make it about 80,000 cases in Malaysia, so far. Most of the deaths were due to complications of underlying diseases. That sounds less alarming now, but the authorities should have spoken up much earlier. The fear is already causing people to swamp hospitals with 900 to 1,000 coming in daily with flu symptoms. Waiting time is four hours at some hospitals. Still, it's better than being lackadaisical or expecting the government to magically block the virus from our borders. On the positive side, Malaysians are waking up to the need for better personal hygiene as basic steps like washing hands are often not observed. Now, I’m seeing people scrub their hands as if they are preparing to conduct a surgery. Meanwhile, I’m noticing a hint of a scratchy throat again. To the doctor? Tags: h1n1, malaysia 
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The flu cases can be prevented by washing hands before and after any procedures, sterilse hands with antiseptic wipes or alcohol rub, wear good effective masks when necessary, avoid crowded, poor ventilated, potentially infected environments, quarantine/isolation for short period only if needed to, practise good hygience, eg. in the preparation of food, washing cutleries properly, educate the public in infection control and infection prevention procedures, ensure all public areas, eg toilets, restaurants, museums, cinemas, hospitals, airports, shopping centres have alcohol rub for the public to wash and sterilise their hands before and after any procedure, and make it an offence if individuals and public establishments/organizations are not adhering to infection prevention/control procedures. In any cases, most of the deceased died not because of the flu itself but because of pre-existing diseses/illness and they were in the high risk groups. Majority of those infected have mild symptoms and will recover. Follow the infection prevention/control procedures that I have mentioned and you will be alright. But the antiseptic hand-rub from the pharmacy like Watsons, Guardian, carry it with you and use it if necessary to prevent infection and control infection. Good luck.
Get well soon, Carolyn.
A double brandy will kill all the germs, fast.
Its been proven that germs cannot live in alcohol.
cheers. hic.
I had full blown syptoms of H1N1 but the fact is my good clinic doctor could not do any tests ,to confirm it.He was lamenting on the fact that clinics are actually ill equipped despite the assurance given by govt.I would be sent back home with panadol if did visit a govt hospital for H1N1 check...
Ooops dorkedog, we are a hypochondriac bunch, aren't we? Blame it on all the health stories that we read! Should be renamed 'illness' stories.
Living in Malaysia now is more like a time bomb. If 20% of the population gets it, it will be a norm to hear news about our loved ones being one of the numbers. The government will only call for a curfew if there's 0.4% of death cases reported. Why 0.4%? The number is going to increase day by day. Confirmed cases todate has rised up to 4,000 + and the figure is increasing daily. So, how many deaths is sufficient enough for the government to take action? Is the government taking our lives for granted? If only their loved ones is infected, they wouldnt feel the pain and agony. I'm just feeling very uneasy over this as my son is asthmatic. What's going on with the Malaysian government? It's a shame to see the death figure for a country that boasts world class medical system.
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