Second H1N1 wave alert
July 15, 2010
VIROLOGISTS believe that the
world is still under threat of a
further pandemic H1N1 outbreak,
with eminent members of the
Hygiene Council last night warning
that a second wave of infection
across the globe is likely.
The Hygiene Council is a group
of scientists convened by
manufacturer Reckitt Benckiser,
with chairman Professor John
Oxford of the London School of
Medicine and Dentistry, and
Australian representative Prof
Dominic Dwyer of Westmead
Hospital last night hosting a
function in Sydney.
Dwyer told PD that previous
pandemics had usually seen a
second wave of infections, and that
the H1N1 virus was also likely to
evolve to affect more people.
He also said that the relatively
low rate of deaths due to H1N1
could in part be attributed to much
better intensive care facilities and
antivirals.
“Most people who were admitted
to intensive care due to H1N1
would have died in the 1918
pandemic,” he said.
A review of the impact of H1N1
so far showed that the usual cohort
of elderly people affected by
seasonal influenza had not been
impacted by H1N1 due to
immunity gained during the 1950s.
The experts also said that H1N1
was still prevalent, and although it’s
possible to look back at what’s
happened over the last year “it’s
unusual to do a post mortem while
the patient is still alive”.
But figures from last year clearly
indicate a strong correlation
between H1N1 deaths and
hospitalisations and pre-existing
conditions such as chronic illness -
and in particular, obesity.
The Hygiene Council reiterated
the importance of preventive
measures such as washing hands
or using hand sanitisers “to break
the influenza chain of infection”.
Prof Oxford said that the
community should be aware that
they have a responsibility not to get
infected - or once infected, a
further responsibility not to infect
others.
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