WHO warns of H1N1 form hitting lungs straight

The World Health Organisation has warned that doctors across the world are reporting a severe form of swine flu that goes straight to the lungs....

The World Health Organisation has warned that doctors across the world are reporting a severe form of swine flu that goes straight to the lungs,causing respiratory failure in otherwise healthy young people and requiring expensive hospital treatment.

While it pointed out in its August 28 briefing note that no reports of change in virulence or mutation had been reported in the virus so far and a large majority of people still experienced a mild form of the disease,it stressed on the need to anticipate demand on the intensive care units,likely to be overwhelmed by the sudden surge in the number of severe cases. Perhaps most significantly,clinicians from around the world are reporting a very severe form of disease,also in young and otherwise healthy people,which is rarely seen during seasonal influenza infections, WHO said.

In these patients,the virus directly infects the lung,causing severe respiratory failure. Saving these lives depends on highly specialised and demanding care in intensive care units,usually with long and costly stays.

Some countries are reporting that as many as 15 percent of patients hospitalised with the new H1N1 pandemic virus need intensive care,further straining already overburdened healthcare systems. A larger number of these cases have reported from the southern hemisphere during the winter season and the WHO said it was advising countries in the Northern Hemisphere to prepare for a second wave of pandemic spread. Countries like India with tropical climates,where the pandemic virus arrived later than elsewhere,also need to prepare for an increasing number of cases.

The press note also says that minority groups and indigenous populations may also be at higher risk of contracting the more severe form of H1N1. In some studies,the risk in these groups is four to five times higher than in the general population, WHO said. Although the reasons are not fully understood,possible explanations include lower standards of living and poor overall health status,including a high prevalence of conditions such as asthma,diabetes and hypertension. It also disproportionately affects younger people,unlike seasonal flu which mainly burdens the elderly.

Data continue to show that certain medical conditions increase the risk of severe and fatal illness. These include respiratory disease,notably asthma,cardiovascular disease,diabetes and immunosuppression, WHO said.

When anticipating the impact of the pandemic as more people become infected,health officials need to be aware that many of these predisposing conditions have become much more widespread in recent decades,thus increasing the pool of vulnerable people.

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The good news people infected with the AIDS virus do not seem to be at special risk from H1N1,WHO said.