A/H1N1 – one of three most common seasonal flu strains in Vietnam

is one of the best preventive measures against flu A/H1N1 (Source: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – is one of the three most common
in Vietnam, with at least five deaths recorded since
the beginning of this year.

According to the
under the Ministry of Health, the country
reported about 208,800 seasonal flu cases in the first half of this year, with
flu B and flu A/H3N2 also common.

The return of flu
A/H1N1 in June has caused public concern, especially in Ho Chi Minh City and
the two southern provinces of Ca Mau and Vinh Long which saw fatalities.

In Ho Chi Minh
City, two outbreaks of A/H1N1 flu strain occurred at Tu Du hospital and Cho Ray
Hospital last month, with 40 patients testing positive for the virus.

The A/H1N1 virus
causes a respiratory infection with symptoms of a fever, cold, cough, and
headache. The virus spreads to the respiratory system, causing other symptoms
such as wheezing and phlegm.

Patients suffering
from A/H1N1 flu and seasonal flu normally recover after a week.

However, pregnant
women, infants and young children under two years old and people over 65 are at
elevated risks of complications arising from flu, with death a possibility
without timely treatment.

The Ministry of
Health said that one of the best preventive measures is vaccination. It also
advised the public to upgrade personal hygiene, emphasising the basics of
covering their mouths and noses when coughing or sneezing, washing one’s hands
with soap and maintaining clean rooms.

If members of the
public have symptoms such as fever, cold, or cough, they are asked to wear facemasks,
go to their local health clinics and avoid using self-prescribed drugs without
a doctor’s instructions.

Vietnam previously
experienced an H1N1 pandemic in 2009, with more than 9,000 cases of people
contracting the disease and nearly twenty deaths in four months, according to
the ministry.

Doctor Truong Huu
Khanh from HCM City Children’s Hospital 1 said A/H1N1 flu was infectious but
fatalities only happen to those who had weak immune systems.

Tests showed that
this is the old type of the H1N1 virus that broke out worldwide in 2009 and
vaccinations against the virus are successful, according to Khanh.

It could only
cause an epidemic if a new type of virus appeared with a modified structure, he
said.-VNA