35 cases of H1N1 reported Udon Thani; 4 fatalities

[webfact]

SEASONAL FLU
35 cases of H1N1 reported Udon Thani; 4 fatalities
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- A total of 35 people - four of whom later died - were diagnosed with seasonal H1N1 flu in Udon Thani province between January 1 and April 21.

The four deaths were in Muang, Ban Phue, Si That and Ban Dung districts. This prompted the provincial health authorities to host a workshop to brush-up the H1N1 flu knowledge of 150 health volunteers at the Udon Thani City Municipality office yesterday.

Mayor Itthipol Triwattanasuwan, who presided over the workshop's opening ceremony, said the event organised by the municipality and the provincial health office, was to help the volunteers screen flu patients and campaign for public awareness of the disease in order to help people protect themselves from the virus.

Provincial health official Dr Smith Prasunnakarn urged people with high fever, headache, muscular pain, sore throat and possible vomiting and diarrhoea to separate themselves from others and see a doctor immediately.


-- The Nation 2014-04-23

[noitom]

No need for tourists to be concerned. Thais have it contained.

[Thai at Heart]

What the hell are they playing at keeping this quiet.

Over 3 months? Corrupt, incompetent people.

[NongKhaiKid]

35 diagnosed with the disease with 4 fatalities between 01 January and 21 April but the story is incomplete as no suggestion when the deaths took place.

Could it be the authorities didn't exactly rush into doing anything until very late ?

[Ricardo]

FWIW a friend, who was working recently as a nurse in Chiang Dao (north of Chiang Mai), says they also had cases up there, but weren't allowed by the authorities to report it.

Hub of not-rushing-to-report-anything-negative-during-an-election-campaign ?

[Som wat]

Could just have been heatstroke.

Surprised that a full course of anti biotics as diagnosed by the local maintenance man didn't cure it.

[Tokay]

What the hell are they playing at keeping this quiet.

Over 3 months? Corrupt, incompetent people.

If you will remember, the last time it got bad, the government made the media stop reporting the numbers and only report the "official" numbers given to them by the government. That was pretty much the end of them reporting on the amount of people with it.

Corrupt and incompetent to the core. Anything to protect tourism and their all mighty face.

[NongKhaiKid]

One of my neighbours is a teacher in Ban Phu and I spoke to her this morning about this report.

Despite this situation having supposedly started on 01 Jan she knew absolutely nothing about it and the school did not receive any warning from the medical authorities to be on the lookout for students showing symptoms.

From the puzzled look on her face I believe she was telling the truth and not involved in any ' keep it quiet ' instruction.

[Nickthegreek]

Its nasty this year, a 45 year old Thai we knew in Rayong went home to Surin 6 weeks ago, contracted this there, sadly died on the 14th April, 3 million baht hospital bill..after 4 weeks trying to save his life after it destroyed his lungs..Bet he is not in those figures !!!!

[clockman]

It was just the same. With the chinese and SARS.

[RedCardinal]

Really amazing that they hush this up. The best way to promote the spread is to keep people in the dark.

We just came back from that region, and all had/have flu-like symptoms. 2-y-o son was worst, and we brought him to a clinic up country and to hospital here in Phuket on return. Health professionals obviously haven't been told about this as they didn't check/test or mention it. He's back to kindergarten now that he's cleared up, but if we knew there was H1N1 going around we would have kept him home longer just in case, and would probably have stayed in ourselves until all symptoms passed.

Most likely we don't have this, but it beggars belief that the public and health professionals haven't been told...

[cup-O-coffee]

Vitamin D

Dr. Cannell shares an office with another family physician. Cannell says he aggressively measures patients Vitamin D levels and they are fully supplied with vitamin D supplements. The other physician does not supplement with Vitamin D and that doctor is seeing 1 - 10 cases per week of influenza-like illness. Another physician, Dr. Ellie Campbell says in her practice she has had zero cases, her patients are universally on 2000–5000 IU to maintain serum levels 50–80 ng/ml.

... and here.

[mrmillersr]

_{The big worry is that this virus mutates where it can be easily spread by a sneeze or cough by someone who has it. If that happens you are looking at a pandemic that could wipe out a large part of the population. Typical kill ratio can be around 40% so if you get it there's a good chance you're days are numbered. Scary stuff.}

[RtotheC]

I had H1N1 before, this is the nastiest illness you could ever imagine. I was a 25 year old army specialist at the time only able to breathe through one nostril while completely unable to move from my bed. I thought i was going to die and can easily see why other people have died from it. I'd do nearly anything to avoid it again, if it is happening again someone needs to do a better job reporting it.

[BillyBobThai]

What the hell are they playing at keeping this quiet.

Over 3 months? Corrupt, incompetent people.

If you will remember, the last time it got bad, the government made the media stop reporting the numbers and only report the "official" numbers given to them by the government. That was pretty much the end of them reporting on the amount of people with it.

Corrupt and incompetent to the core. Anything to protect tourism and their all mighty face.

I kind of like that phrase. Tourism dept could use it as their next slogan

You think it's bad where you are, come to Thailand, home of the most corrupt and incompetent . We will do anything to protect tourism and the all mightly Thai face.

[Bkungbank]

Japan just allowed imported on Thai chicken, this should an impact for business, In Hong Kong the health department should inform the public on daily update of the disease and not cover up, it's really bad on public confident.

[masuk]

Could just have been heatstroke.

Surprised that a full course of anti biotics as diagnosed by the local maintenance man didn't cure it.

I am not so sure that antibiotics can cure a virus.

current flu immunisation shots have been available for months.

[Cow San Load]

What the hell are they playing at keeping this quiet.

Over 3 months? Corrupt, incompetent people.

If you will remember, the last time it got bad, the government made the media stop reporting the numbers and only report the "official" numbers given to them by the government. That was pretty much the end of them reporting on the amount of people with it.

Corrupt and incompetent to the core. Anything to protect tourism and their all mighty face.

are you implying the media are pillars of truth honesty accuracy and integrity

[sugarcane24]

Could just have been heatstroke.

Surprised that a full course of anti biotics as diagnosed by the local maintenance man didn't cure it.

I am not so sure that antibiotics can cure a virus.

current flu immunisation shots have been available for months.

Flu shots are in my opinion like other vaccinations useless and dangerous.

If one gets the NH1N1 flu, vitamin C can be a lifesaver - especially intravenous vitamin C (IVC) or Lipo-spheric Vitamin C. Check out this video of how vitamin C saved this New Zealand farmer's life:

http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/52580/60_min_NZ_Living_Proof__Man_Cured_by_Vitamin_C/

[wandasloan]

FWIW a friend, who was working recently as a nurse in Chiang Dao (north of Chiang Mai), says they also had cases up there, but weren't allowed by the authorities to report it.

That does not even pass the simple "HUH?" test. And what would the authorities do if they reported it? A nurse in Chiang Dao "reports" (whatever that means) that a lot of people have the flu. What would happen to that nurse? Realistic, worse case of terrible retribution to a nurse that said she saw a bunch of people in a hospital.

This is ordinary flu, not something sinister or unusual in any manner. It's like a cold. And it's no more newsworthy (and a lot less fatal) than highway crashes, heart attacks, cancer battles, which is why almost no highway crashes, heart attacks or cancer deaths are reported except in wrapup reports, too. This is a wrapup report that for some reason was put in the media. All the other wrapup reports, I guess you have to go to the Health Ministry to get them, but they are there. Including the report from Chiang Dao.

Flu shots are in my opinion like other vaccinations useless and dangerous..

Well, yes. Of course they are. Except when they wipe out bubonic plague and smallpox and prevent your child from having to spend his entire (short) life in an iron lung. Other than that they're useless and dangerous. Oh, and measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox. But other than that, right on.

And diphtheria. But that's all.

And whooping cough. But you're correct.

Oh, and the flu, the one that killed these four people. Many people don't get the flu because of vaccinations. But other than that, you're right.

.

Edited April 23, 2014 by wandasloan

[how241]

FWIW a friend, who was working recently as a nurse in Chiang Dao (north of Chiang Mai), says they also had cases up there, but weren't allowed by the authorities to report it.

Hub of not-rushing-to-report-anything-negative-during-an-election-campaign ?

More 'Hub' stories...Anyone know the 'Hub' total ?

[Jonmarleesco]

And in innumerable public buildings and malls - including one ironically named Mediplex - washrooms/toilets lack paper towels, dryers often don't work, there is, more often than not, no soap, and in many instances, not even a soap dispenser. Presumably, the cleaning staff think H1N1 is the chemical symbol for Mekhong, and bacteria a figment of biological imagination.

[Jonmarleesco]

And in innumerable public buildings and malls - including one ironically named Mediplex - washrooms/toilets lack paper towels, dryers often don't work, there is, more often than not, no soap, and in many instances, not even a soap dispenser. Presumably, the cleaning staff think H1N1 is the chemical symbol for Mekhong, and bacteria a figment of biological imagination.

[SanukJoeII]

_{The big worry is that this virus mutates where it can be easily spread by a sneeze or cough by someone who has it. If that happens you are looking at a pandemic that could wipe out a large part of the population. Typical kill ratio can be around 40% so if you get it there's a good chance you're days are numbered. Scary stuff.}

What a load of crap and panicking, another so-called specialist on TV!

From the site medicinenet.com:

<In general, the majority (about 90%-95%) of people who get the disease feel terrible (see symptoms) but recover with no problems, as seen in patients in Mexico, the U.S., and many other countries.>

With that in mind a montly occurrence of 10 ill people in the whole province of Udonthani, even 4 deaths in 4 months in a 1.6 million population (0.00025%) is no reason to panic and to scare people. So I understand the authorities to treat this as a not abnormal occurrence.

For those who develop symptoms: treat it as you treat a flu: stay home, no work, no school, no socializing, get rest, take vitamins C and D and after one week it's over...

If people are scared, take a flu shot, you will get sick for 100%, but not the flu, just sore throat, headache, fever, vomiting diarrhea...

[mrmillersr]

_{The big worry is that this virus mutates where it can be easily spread by a sneeze or cough by someone who has it. If that happens you are looking at a pandemic that could wipe out a large part of the population. Typical kill ratio can be around 40% so if you get it there's a good chance you're days are numbered. Scary stuff.}

What a load of crap and panicking, another so-called specialist on TV!

From the site medicinenet.com:

<In general, the majority (about 90%-95%) of people who get the disease feel terrible (see symptoms) but recover with no problems, as seen in patients in Mexico, the U.S., and many other countries.>

With that in mind a montly occurrence of 10 ill people in the whole province of Udonthani, even 4 deaths in 4 months in a 1.6 million population (0.00025%) is no reason to panic and to scare people. So I understand the authorities to treat this as a not abnormal occurrence.

For those who develop symptoms: treat it as you treat a flu: stay home, no work, no school, no socializing, get rest, take vitamins C and D and after one week it's over...

If people are scared, take a flu shot, you will get sick for 100%, but not the flu, just sore throat, headache, fever, vomiting diarrhea...

Let it mutate like the strain in 1917 and get a case of it. Then let's see if you will still will be calling it a load of crap.