A significant increase in influenza cases has compelled Karachi health authorities to issue an alert and implement several measures for disease management, monitoring, and containment. The current outbreak of H1N1 (previously known as “swine flu”) appears to be more intense and more contagious than previous ones. According to Dr Altaf Hussain Khatri, senior general physician and representative of the Pakistan Medical Association and the College of Family Medicine Pakistan, health facilities in the city have been “overwhelmed” by patients with fever, shortness of breath, cough, and body aches. He urged the public to use face masks to contain the spread of the virus. In a letter to district health officers and hospital superintendents, the health department outlined several urgent actions to tackle the epidemic: stringent monitoring and immediate reporting of suspected and confirmed cases, use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) by healthcare workers, and promotion of public preventive measures such as masks, social distancing, and vaccinations.
Commenting on the outbreak, Dr Faisal Mahmood, head of the Infectious Disease Department at the Aga Khan University Hospital, confirmed the high number of severe influenza cases in emergency rooms, accompanied by several deaths, and that H1N1 was the predominant virus affecting the region. He advised ill persons to consult a doctor if their symptoms do not improve in a few days and not take antibiotics to improve their condition. He also pointed out the key reasons for the severity of the current outbreak, including poor vaccine coverage and a possible shift in the virus itself.
