PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department has issued an advisory to all hospitals regarding symptoms, management and sample collection from suspected people for prevention and control of an outbreak of seasonal influenza (H3N2).
In the advisory, the department asked the district health officers, medical superintendent of district headquarters hospitals and medical directors of medical teaching institutions to submit samples of suspected cases to the Public Health Reference Laboratory (PHRL) at Khyber Medical University for early detection of H3N2 cases.
According to it, influenza is an acute viral respiratory illness caused by influenza A and B viruses, leading to annual epidemics. Influenza A is associated with higher transmissibility and severe disease among adults, children, pregnant women and people with chronic health conditions.
The health department said the country currently witnessed rising cases of influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infection and had recorded a total of 340,856 suspected ILl cases from all provinces and regions with 12pc H3N2 cases.
Warns outbreak of disease can be severe due to
limited access to healthcare, lack of public
awareness
It said keeping in view of the recent upsurge in cases, limited access to healthcare services, unsatisfied infection prevention and control practices in different settings and limited health awareness in the community, the flu season could be severe.
The advisory aimed to ensure timely preventive and control measures to deal with increased workload expected in the outpatient and in-patient departments during the next few months.
According to it, seasonal influenza viruses including H3N2 can manifest with mild to moderate symptoms, but they can rapidly progress to severe illness, particularly in high-risk individuals. The primary modes of transmission are through respiratory droplets and aerosols, which can spread through person-to-person contact via sneezing, coughing, or talking, touching contaminated surfaces and subsequent face-touching and close contact with an infected individual, especially in crowded areas or poorly ventilated spaces.
The advisory said elderly individuals above 65 years of age and children below five years of age, obese individuals, Immunocompromised individuals, such as those with HIV/Aids or those undergoing chemotherapy), people with chronic health conditions, like diabetes, cardiac disease, and respiratory disease and pregnant women are among high-risk people. However, early detection, prompt treatment and vaccination can reduce the burden of influenza-related illnesses and deaths.
It recommended frequent and thorough hand washing with soap and water and use of hand sanitiser, if soap and water are unavailable, for someone having flu, as well as through covering mouth and nose while sneezing or coughing with the elbow. Sick people were asked to stay at home, take rest, avoid crowds and observe social distancing measures until complete recovery from the condition.
According to the department, the World Health Organisation recommends seasonal influenza vaccination for pregnant women (highest priority), children, elderly people, individuals with chronic medical conditions and health-care workers.
“As the disease is self-limiting, treatment is mainly supportive but in hospitalised patients, early antiviral treatment may shorten the duration of illness and antiviral treatment (Oseltamivir/ Tamiflu) is recommended for hospitalised patients with severe, complicated or progressive illness.”
The health department recommended enhanced surveillance for persons with immunosuppression including the one caused by medications or by HIV infection, pregnant women within two weeks after delivery, persons below 19 years receiving long-term aspirin therapy, obese persons, residents of nursing homes and other chronic care facilities and those chronic cardiac, pulmonary, renal, metabolic, neurodevelopmental, liver or hematologic diseases.
It said the people suffering from ILl and SARI, with a history of 100°F fever and cough, required hospitalisation, so respiratory specimens from patients could be collected and placed immediately in viral transport medium to be sent to the PHRL.
