Some Lessons on H1N1

I'm sick.

The rain caught me yesterday. It was just some drizzle and I was still wondering what caused the persistent sneezing after my lunch yesterday until a colleague reminded me of the rain. 

So when I was home yesterday, I took a glass of Vitamin C, dinner and then straight to bed. 

This morning was initial dry nose followed by sneezing, headache and bodyache.

When I was at the doctor's today, I was conscious of being treated as a H1N1 suspect. While the doctor was picking up my symptoms and writing on the medical sheet, I started asking him some questions about H1N1.

Here's the update.

H1N1 is now considered as a common flu. Treatment is the same as all other common flu, because there is no swab available in the clinics now to determine the virus immediately. Therefore, the treatment now will be for more severe flu cases, Tamiflu will be administered, regardless whether it is H1N1. For milder cases, even if there is H1N1, common flu treatment is used instead. It is seem as the body has strength to fight against the H1N1 virus (if there is) for milder cases, so no Tamiflu is given.

Just like all other types of Influenza, H1N1 is not deadly unless the patient already has pre-existing medical condition or the body is already weaker. 

Now the scary part is this. Indonesia still has H5N1 cases - the deadly Bird Flu. The top worry now is if H1N1 mixes with H1N5 and mutates to something more deadly, especially when Singapore is so near to Indonesia. Apparently the Indonesian Government is least concern about this.

So now it's really important to start maintaining a good hygienic habit, and sanitizing your hands whenever you touch something in public. This is not a case of excess compulsive disorder!