Seven people died of H1N1 virus

The Health Ministry calls on the population of Armenia to trust only official, reliable reports and not to yield to panic, but, at the same time, to be cautious. Meanwhile, people are on alert even without this call.

According to official data, 855 people have been taken to hospital, but not all of them have been infected with H1N1 virus, i.e. “swine flu. 77 people of that number are rendered medical aid in the intensive therapy units, health conditions of 11 of them are serious, and they have been connected to artificial respiration units. H1N1 virus has been confirmed in four persons.

Armenian Deputy Health Minister, Vahan Poghosyan stated on air of the republican First (Public) Channel: “Judging from the analysis of these figures, we can say that prevalence rate has increased, but there is no pandemic. We have stopped, prevented it.

It is difficult to say, why the Health Ministry is so sure that the pandemic has been prevented. Diseased people are still admitted to hospitals. As Senior Epidemiologist of the Health Ministry, Vladimir Davidyants reported, the situation in all regions throughout the country is similar to that in the capital. Medics do not conceal that seven persons have already died of H1N1 virus – three persons died at the end of 2015 and four individuals deceased at the beginning of 2016.

People are called not be engage in self-treatment when the flu symptoms appear and appeal to medical facilities. According to doctors, number of serious cases has sharply reduced because the population timely applies to medical institutions and the cases of consulting doctors for getting medical aid have increased.

It should be noted that earlier, the Health Ministry reported that daily duty would be established in out-patient departments during holidays because of the spread of acute respiratory diseases. Meanwhile, as the Mass Media reported during the first week of January, many residents, including in Yerevan, complained they had not found opened out-patient departments, working doctors, functioning laboratories, where they would be able to undergo tests. There were holidays in the country till January 8.

By the way, the holidays promoted spread of the virus to some extent. During the holidays people met more often, communicated and infected each other. Infected people waited for doctors return to their offices, they were not rendered necessary medication and professional treatment, their disease developed into a more serious stage – pneumonia.

As for famous anti-flu preparation Tamiflu, which became very popular after the first reports on “swine flu spread, professional medics warn that it can’t be used for prophylactic and can’t prevent infecting. Tamiflu is used for the virus treatment.

Senior Epidemiologist of the Health Ministry, Vladimir Davidyants advises not to look for the medicines in drug stores, where a price for it has increased, it can’t be found. All clinics have been provided with it. If the abovementioned virus is diagnosed, the patients will be provided with the medicine free of charge like with other medications, necessary for treatment.

The panic in connection with spread of the H1N1 virus was not observed in social networks, but many people liked a photo from the press conference of the Health Ministry officials, with a cameraman wearing a medical face mask.

A photo provided by PAN photo