DOCTOR FIRST AND DOCTOR FOREMOST PART 3 SWINE FLU
Hi all......................My driver did not listen to me when I asked him to do a H1N1 (Swine flu) test.He was having fever for many days with cough and cold. He was rather angry why I asked him to do that test. Like it were a stigma.Maybe the main fact was fear lest he tested positive.Then he would have to be admitted in a hospital with Infectious Diseases isolation set up.And with his wife and two kids aged 3 yrs and 1 yrs would be left alone in the house.And also the H1N1 virus has left every common man thinking it is something like Cancer or Tuberculosis.Really like it were a stigma!
He was very adamant that he would take medicines from the nearest government hospital and get cured.He is a good driver but very adamant and hotheaded in many matters.In this aspect he is just like the general public. These people are afraid of advanced treatment. They have a fixed idea that if they go to a doctor,an injection and some medicines will cure them.And commonly many obliging doctors give them a shot of injection,even if it is distilled water!!!And I will not blame the doctors too Psychological treatment is valuable in most of these cases.
And if fever continues for a few days ,to have a blood test which consists of a general blood count and Haemoglobin It is very difficult to convince these people that there are thousands of blood tests and for a particular diagnosis a battery of particular tests have to be done.Like the case of my driver. I tried hard to convince him that the test ought to be negative,but it is safe to have it done.
But he simply would not listen,would not even wear a mask.So I temporarily suspended him from service, well paid leave actually!I tried to tell him that even his small children were at risk.But my driver is very ignorant,but head strong.
And the HIN1 test for swine flu costs about 5000 bucks in a famed laboratory.Probably the testing agents are very expensive.But all government hospitals have been supplied with "viral transport medium"to convey nose and throat swabs to the testing centre. But the doctors work with caution.They may be reprimanded for writing such an expensive test precociously.
But what with two stents in my heart,COPD and diabetes ,I felt safe to suspend him for a few days.Now without any side effects,he is recovering and it was an ordinary viral fever after all.
I even arranged to for him to have the test done free through one of my friends.But the head strong ,but really frightened fool would not budge.All is well that ends well.
Actually the testing for swine flu is quite simple.Throat swabs and nasal swabs are taken and they are transferred in a viral transport medium to the chosen laboratories for testing.King's Institute of Chennai is a very acclaimed laboratory doing research and dealing with testing these samples.
Last year it was Dengue frightening the life out of people This year it is Swine Influenza.In Chennai, about 65 cases tested positive and two deaths have been reported.There is a panic amongst the public and most of them are not willing to take H1N1 vaccine through nose (vaccine contains live virus) or in injectable form which contains dead virus. And probably the vaccines are not very effective and are lying unasked for in the government stores.
Swine influenza virus is common throughout pig populations worldwide. Transmission of the virus from pigs to humans is not common and does not always lead to human flu, often resulting only in the production of antibodies in the blood. If transmission does cause human flu, it is called zoonotic swine flu. People with regular exposure to pigs are at increased risk of swine flu infection. Direct transmission of a swine flu virus from pigs to humans is occasionally possible (zoonotic swine flu).
In humans the symptoms of swine flu" H1N1 virus are similar to those of influenza and of influenza-like illness in general. Symptoms include fever; cough, sore throat, watery eyes, body aches, shortness of breath, headache, weight loss, chills, sneezing, runny nose, coughing, dizziness, abdominal pain, lack of appetite and fatigue.
The main cause of fatality is Pneumonia and respiratory failure,high fever causing neurological symptoms and dehydration due to excessive vomiting and diarrhea leading to imbalance of electrolytes in the body (mainly sodium, potassium etc) finally leading to kidney failure.So respiratory failure and kidney failure are the leading causes of death.
Regular hand washing ,wearing a mask in public places and avoiding contact with pigs/pig meat are advocated for prevention.
The WHO has declared Swine flu in pigs,pandemic.So prevention by following the methods advocated are the safest ways to avoid being infected.
The vaccine has been mainly advocated for the doctors and staff handling these cases.But they refuse to take it because it is not the season for flu and anyway maybe it is not very effective.So the vaccines are lying in the drug ware houses and do not see day light.
Swine Flu, the highly contagious virus spreading across the globe which started affecting people mainly in countries like Mexico, US, Canada, Chile, Australia, Japan and UK has entered India now.
A doctor from Ariyalur government hospital, Dr.Kanmani has contracted Swine flu and has been rushed to a Chennai private hospital for treatment.So the doctors and paramedics are bravely tending to these swine flu patients,risking their own lives.That is why I opine that a doctor has taken the hippocratic oath to serve patients and will do so even at the peril of his/her own life. Kudos to doctors world wide.
But not to panic.There are antiviral medicines available freely.
He was very adamant that he would take medicines from the nearest government hospital and get cured.He is a good driver but very adamant and hotheaded in many matters.In this aspect he is just like the general public. These people are afraid of advanced treatment. They have a fixed idea that if they go to a doctor,an injection and some medicines will cure them.And commonly many obliging doctors give them a shot of injection,even if it is distilled water!!!And I will not blame the doctors too Psychological treatment is valuable in most of these cases.
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| DOCTOR GIVING INJECTION, HA HA |
But he simply would not listen,would not even wear a mask.So I temporarily suspended him from service, well paid leave actually!I tried to tell him that even his small children were at risk.But my driver is very ignorant,but head strong.
And the HIN1 test for swine flu costs about 5000 bucks in a famed laboratory.Probably the testing agents are very expensive.But all government hospitals have been supplied with "viral transport medium"to convey nose and throat swabs to the testing centre. But the doctors work with caution.They may be reprimanded for writing such an expensive test precociously.
But what with two stents in my heart,COPD and diabetes ,I felt safe to suspend him for a few days.Now without any side effects,he is recovering and it was an ordinary viral fever after all.
I even arranged to for him to have the test done free through one of my friends.But the head strong ,but really frightened fool would not budge.All is well that ends well.
Actually the testing for swine flu is quite simple.Throat swabs and nasal swabs are taken and they are transferred in a viral transport medium to the chosen laboratories for testing.King's Institute of Chennai is a very acclaimed laboratory doing research and dealing with testing these samples.
Last year it was Dengue frightening the life out of people This year it is Swine Influenza.In Chennai, about 65 cases tested positive and two deaths have been reported.There is a panic amongst the public and most of them are not willing to take H1N1 vaccine through nose (vaccine contains live virus) or in injectable form which contains dead virus. And probably the vaccines are not very effective and are lying unasked for in the government stores.
Swine influenza virus is common throughout pig populations worldwide. Transmission of the virus from pigs to humans is not common and does not always lead to human flu, often resulting only in the production of antibodies in the blood. If transmission does cause human flu, it is called zoonotic swine flu. People with regular exposure to pigs are at increased risk of swine flu infection. Direct transmission of a swine flu virus from pigs to humans is occasionally possible (zoonotic swine flu).
In humans the symptoms of swine flu" H1N1 virus are similar to those of influenza and of influenza-like illness in general. Symptoms include fever; cough, sore throat, watery eyes, body aches, shortness of breath, headache, weight loss, chills, sneezing, runny nose, coughing, dizziness, abdominal pain, lack of appetite and fatigue.
The main cause of fatality is Pneumonia and respiratory failure,high fever causing neurological symptoms and dehydration due to excessive vomiting and diarrhea leading to imbalance of electrolytes in the body (mainly sodium, potassium etc) finally leading to kidney failure.So respiratory failure and kidney failure are the leading causes of death.
Regular hand washing ,wearing a mask in public places and avoiding contact with pigs/pig meat are advocated for prevention.
The WHO has declared Swine flu in pigs,pandemic.So prevention by following the methods advocated are the safest ways to avoid being infected.
The vaccine has been mainly advocated for the doctors and staff handling these cases.But they refuse to take it because it is not the season for flu and anyway maybe it is not very effective.So the vaccines are lying in the drug ware houses and do not see day light.
Swine Flu, the highly contagious virus spreading across the globe which started affecting people mainly in countries like Mexico, US, Canada, Chile, Australia, Japan and UK has entered India now.
A doctor from Ariyalur government hospital, Dr.Kanmani has contracted Swine flu and has been rushed to a Chennai private hospital for treatment.So the doctors and paramedics are bravely tending to these swine flu patients,risking their own lives.That is why I opine that a doctor has taken the hippocratic oath to serve patients and will do so even at the peril of his/her own life. Kudos to doctors world wide.
But not to panic.There are antiviral medicines available freely.
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