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More H1N1 cases stoking public fears

By Shan Juan (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-03 10:48

Learning about the flu

At present, top priorities for flu containment by Chinese health authorities include educating the public, particularly the groups with a higher risk, about prevention measures. Another priority is rapid treatment of patients, particularly those with heavy symptoms.

Some 80 percent of new infections in Beijing happened on school campuses, said officials at the local health bureau. More than 90 percent of the patients were younger than 30.

Public service announcements encouraging the general public to practice good hygiene, including frequent hand washing, were regularly aired on TV stations throughout the country.

"These efforts need to be maintained at a high level," added Tan.

The organization predicted yesterday that the H1N1 flu epidemic may not end until 80 percent of global population gets infected. Liang Wannian warned in August that tens of millions of people in China could get infected by H1N1 with millions seeking medical help.

"That would stress China's limited intensive care capacity, even in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai," warned Zeng Guang, chief epidemiologist with China CDC.

"We have to plan for the worst and make the best preparations," said deputy director He Xiong.

Getting ready for H1N1

All parts of China are gearing up for the acute challenge: expanding the vaccination schedule, training medical workers, and organizing supplies including antiviral drugs and other medical equipment like respiratory machines.

Since the onset of the potentially deadly virus on the mainland in May, the State Council has held several executive meetings to address the pandemic and allocated five billion yuan for flu prevention and control.

"At maximum treatment capacity in Beijing, we are able to deliver quality medical care for one third of the patients, particularly the severe cases," He said.

In the worst-case scenario, when the number of severe patients exceeds the hospitals' capacity, public venues including schools and hotels would be used to accommodate patients, he added.

"We will try every means to prevent that from happening," he said. "So far most of the H1N1 patients just showed mild symptoms."

Tan also urged the Chinese government to strengthen health facilities, making sure there is enough capacity to cope with the potential increase in severe cases without neglecting other non-H1N1 patients.

Major challenges ahead

Deputy director He agreed with Tan, urging more forceful implementation of rules to combat the pandemic among all stakeholders, ranging from the government to schools to the general public.

"Relative countermeasures and policies have been in place for a long time and there should be no slackness in executing that," he said.

Schools have always been a priority for prevention programs and information, according to officials.

In early September, when the new school term opened in China, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education jointly issued a notice asking education institutions nationwide to avoid student assemblies to avert potential mass infections.

However, top-notch Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics held military training for its freshman students off campus.

The country's fourth H1N1 victim, who had attended the training and got infected there, died on Tuesday.

Sources with the university said the school authority risked breaking the rule by organizing the off-campus training to make way for some 4,000 visiting participants of the "Challenge Cup," a national competition in science and technology.

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