Saturday, 4th July 2009

Why allow domestic quarantine?

Gabriella Mamo, Msida

It was reported that the four cases of swine flu in Malta have opted for voluntary quarantine.

I am somewhat amazed that this request was granted, as would it not be safer to keep these cases under observation in a quarantine ward in Mater Dei Hospital?

This would be so both for the benefit of these patients and for the community in general, as I believe a specialised ward could better handle these cases than a normal household that unlike a quarantine section in the hospital would not be able to provide a sterile environment and avoid further spread.

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Comments

Steven Brockwell (on 4/7/09)

my daughters boyfriend was on the same plane and in the rugby team he has been quarantined but yet he shows negative to the virus. then again i had a really bad flu last two weeks coughing sore throat ,fever runny nose the lot . i even still wen to work no problem i am better no with out any medication for all i know it could have been swine flu only i never bothered to check just like hundreds of other don't bother ? simple because its not that sever ??? then again last January i had such a bad flu like no other and was bed ridden for three days so what was that cow flu ?????

Dr Thomas Armatys (on 4/7/09)

A few points to answer Ms Mamo's questions
1. Swine flu is a relatively mild form of flu. It is not a killer disease despite all the media time dedicated to it. No special equipment is required. It is preferable for the patient to stay comfortably in their own house rather than being "imprisoned" in a ward.
It is not a killer disease despite all the media time dedicated to it.
2. I doubt that legally anyone could be forced into quarantine because of a disease with such low mortality.
3. Besides there being no need to quarantine all confirmed cases, there is also the question of resources. We have nearly 20 confirmed cases already. Let's assume that they each come from a family of three and that the entire family has to be quarantined. We would already be talking about placing 60 people an isolation ward. Hospital beds, nurses and doctors don't exactly grow on trees...

Raymond Camilleri (on 4/7/09)

yes sure...call in the army, arrest them, lock them in...bring out the barbed wire!... don't exagerate Ms Mamo! ... sterile environment??? what does that have to do with the flu!??

B Crocker (on 4/7/09)

Get a grip it is just Flu like happens every year

A. Calleja (on 4/7/09)

please don't make a fuss out of this... this only serves to create undue panic. its just the flu. more people die of the normal flu than they did of Swine flu.