18-member body to develop treatment protocol for H1N1
Sunday, 6 September 2009
The Directorate General of Health Service (DGHS) Saturday formed an 18-member committee to develop a treatment protocol for the pandemic H1N1 2009, which already affected 281 people as of Friday and killed two persons since the first case detected on June 18 in Bangladesh, reports BSS.
"The committee represented by clinicians would submit its report in a couple of days," DGHS Director General Shah Monir Hossain told the news agency after a meeting with clinicians of different hospitals in the city. Once the protocol is finalised, he said, it would be sent to all hospitals for providing treatment based on categories.
Prof Monir said the number of new cases has yet to be known because of holiday on Saturday, but confirmed the second death from pandemic H1N1 2009 at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) Friday night.
"It seems that the death was due to H1N1, although a laboratory test was yet to be done," the DG said, adding the people should not be panicked about the flu, virulence of which is not so fatal. Prof Monir said they have informally decided for clean guideline for treatment protocol, which will have three categories-A, B and C- for providing treatment of flu-affected people.
"Infected people of A category will have treatment at home, while category B will get anti-viral drugs and category C patients will be admitted into hospital," he said, urging people to maintain personal hygiene.
The people who require a medical evaluation for pandemic virus are those who are short of breath or have difficulty breathing or have risk factor for disease including pregnancy, diabetes, asthma, chronic heart disease, according to the guideline of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
"The committee represented by clinicians would submit its report in a couple of days," DGHS Director General Shah Monir Hossain told the news agency after a meeting with clinicians of different hospitals in the city. Once the protocol is finalised, he said, it would be sent to all hospitals for providing treatment based on categories.
Prof Monir said the number of new cases has yet to be known because of holiday on Saturday, but confirmed the second death from pandemic H1N1 2009 at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) Friday night.
"It seems that the death was due to H1N1, although a laboratory test was yet to be done," the DG said, adding the people should not be panicked about the flu, virulence of which is not so fatal. Prof Monir said they have informally decided for clean guideline for treatment protocol, which will have three categories-A, B and C- for providing treatment of flu-affected people.
"Infected people of A category will have treatment at home, while category B will get anti-viral drugs and category C patients will be admitted into hospital," he said, urging people to maintain personal hygiene.
The people who require a medical evaluation for pandemic virus are those who are short of breath or have difficulty breathing or have risk factor for disease including pregnancy, diabetes, asthma, chronic heart disease, according to the guideline of the World Health Organisation (WHO).