Coolheaded approach is necessary in dealing with a flu pandemic
(From The Japan Times June 17 issue)

要約
新型インフルエンザに冷静な対応を

With the World Health Organization raising the alert for the H1N1 flu pandemic to its highest level — Phase 6 — the government needs to take a coolheaded approach by carefully monitoring how the pandemic evolves.

This is the first influenza pandemic since 1968, when Hong Kong flu killed an estimated 1 million people worldwide. H1N1 flu appears to pose a lesser threat than the Spanish flu of 1918, which is estimated to have killed 40 million people. Good cooperation among the WHO, national and regional governments, medical institutions and researchers could minimize its impact.

Bird flu, which has spread mainly in Asia, has a fatality rate of about 60 percent. The fatality rate of the new flu, which started in Mexico, is near 0.1 percent, close to that of seasonal influenza.

In raising the alert level, the WHO said it considers the overall severity of the pandemic to be moderate, pointing out that the vast majority of people who fall ill experience mild symptoms, can be cared for at home and often recover without medical treatment.

But most people do not have immunity to the new virus. People under the age of 25 years are especially prone to the virus while most cases of severe and fatal infections have occurred among people between 30 and 50. Pregnant women, people with respiratory, or cardiovascular conditions or autoimmune deficiencies, and others who are obese or have diabetes are also highly susceptible to developing severe infections.

Saying that the further spread of the virus appears to be inevitable, the WHO aptly called for more emphasis on providing care and less on trying to stop the spread of the virus. It should be noted that many new cases are cropping up in Japan even in June. The present system in which people first call fever-consultation centers to receive advice on whether to go to designated hospitals would be unable to properly cope if the pandemic worsens in the fall.

The government should consider letting ordinary medical institutions treat new cases and suggest that people with light symptoms be taken care of at home. Meanwhile, main hospitals should be ready to provide intensive care to serious cases.

WHOが新型インフルエンザの警戒水準を最高レベルに引き上げた。政府には感染状況の把握と冷静な対処を求めたい。拡大防止には、WHOと各国政府、地方自治体、医療機関、研究者の協力が必要だ。

新型インフルエンザの致死率は0.1％と季節性インフルエンザと同様だ。感染者の多くは軽症で済むためWHOは深刻度を「中程度」としたが、大半の人は免疫を持っておらず感染しやすい。

感染拡大は不可避と判断したWHOは、拡大防止より治療を重視するよう呼びかけた。現在も新たな感染が確認される日本では、秋以降の蔓延で発熱相談窓口の機能が麻痺する恐れがある。

政府には一般病院での感染者対応の体制作りを検討し、軽症者には自宅療養を勧めてほしい。主要病院は集中治療の準備を整えるべきだ。