K-P health department issues flu advisory

Officials told to ensure periodic reporting, vaccinate staff

PESHAWAR: Following an outbreak of influenza in South Punjab with four deaths and nine infections reported from Multan so far, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa health department on Monday issued a health advisory.

It followed a similar advisory from the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad late last month.

In a statement issued on Monday, the provincial health department stated that the Health Services Directorate General had reviewed, in detail, the existing material on seasonal influenza including guidelines provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and NIH.

The advisory urged officials to remain vigilant for the detection of suspected influenza-like illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI). It urged officials, especially healthcare professionals to strictly adhere to case definition for detection of such diseases.

Any suspected SARI cases should be immediately reported on the disease notification form complete with the requisite credentials to maintain a list of all the cases. It further directed that ILI reports shall be submitted to all district health offices.



Moreover, every health facility was directed to ensure that WHO-recommended personal protective equipment (PPE) is available while antiviral treatment (Oseltamivir/Tamiflu) especially for high risk groups including the elderly and the young, immune compromised and people with chronic health problems such as asthma, diabetes, cardiac and lung diseases, and pregnant women who are at high-risk for developing complications due to infection. 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2nd, 2018.