Editorial

Although hope, as they would say, springs eternal, there was very little doubt that sooner or later the H1N1 influenza virus, or swine flu, as it is commonly known, would reach Malta too. As the Parliamentary Secretary for the Elderly and Community Care, Mario Galea said yesterday, it was a matter of when, not if. The bottom line is that four Maltese nationals have been diagnosed with the virus.

All four patients are now being treated at home and are not known to be seriously ill. Indeed, two who spoke to The Times were in good spirits. The patients, who have been asked to stay at home, are being treated with Tamiflu.

Administering treatment to confirmed patients and containing the spread are the priority. The treatment part is best left to the professionals, the medics, but ensuring the virus does not spread is the responsibility of each and every one of us.

This is a time of awareness and prudence rather than panic and jumping to conclusions.

The health authorities in Malta have been following the global situation closely as it developed and will surely abide by the advice of the World Health Organisation based on the experience of those countries where the virus has already been detected. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reported late yesterday afternoon that there were about 81,700 confirmed cases and 339 deaths worldwide. Although, admittedly, a single death is one life lost, the figures prove that H1N1 is by no means a terminal disease. The authorities have their role to play too, of course.

First of all, they need to keep the public continuously updated with the situation. Fear of the unknown will certainly lead to panic and over-reactions and that is the last thing the authorities need.

In addition, people must have their minds at rest that the country is well prepared to handle the situation. Here again, detailed information is of the essence. There should be no room for speculation, neither with regard to the prevailing situation nor if more cases emerge.

In the meantime, it ought to be borne in mind that the virus is predominantly transmitted by aerosols, typically by coughs and sneezes from infected individuals. However, it may also be spread by touching infected objects and then touching one's nose, eyes or mouth. This means that it is essential to ensure that basic hygiene measures are practised, such as washing hands regularly, covering one's nose when sneezing and cleaning surfaces, knobs and buttons that are frequently used by different individuals.

The symptoms of the virus are those of ordinary influenza and these include fever, a sore throat, muscle pains, headache, coughing, weakness and fatigue. In addition, many people also have reported nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhoea. If such signs appear, one should immediately see one's GP and then proceed as per the medical advice given, because not all such signs are necessarily caused by the H1N1 virus.

As has already been mentioned, the virus is fortunately not attacking with high fatality rates and the deaths are usually caused by pneumonia, to which the very young and the very old are particularly susceptible. WHO's decision to raise the pandemic alert level to six is a reflection of the degree of spread of the virus and not of the severity of the illness caused by the virus.

That is why one must be prudent, albeit alert, rather than panic. Life must go on as usual.