Not swine flu: Doctors blame seasonal flu for five deaths

Claim allergies, pregnancy, among others caused complications.

ISLAMABAD:

The condition of a doctor who died after getting influenza was complicated by his acute pollen allergy. The National Institute of Health (NIH) on Friday confirmed that the cause of death of Surgeon Dr Matloob Ahmed, 45, was a mix of influenza type-A and acute pollen allergy.

Ahmed was from Gujar Khan and was admitted in Holy Family Hospital (HFH), Rawalpindi on March 19, where he later died.

Talking to The Express Tribune, an official at the NIH laboratory said according to the doctor’s blood samples, he had acute pollen allergies for which he was getting treatment. He was using steroids and inhalers to combat the disease, but the allergy left his immune system compromised, after which he picked up the flu.



“His health worsened due to both diseases and resulted in his death,” said the official.

Sources further said that five people have died this year from the same strain of flu. All of them had compromised immune systems due to pregnancy, or diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and allergies. Their hometowns included Sialkot, Chakwal, AJK and Rawalpindi.

Meanwhile talking to The Express Tribune, Dr Javed Hayat, the in-charge for infectious diseases at HFH, clarified that the influenza type-A that caused the deaths “is a common seasonal flu and deaths only occurs when there are complications”, as opposed to swine flu and bird flu, which are different strains of H1N1.

He said the media should play a responsible role while reporting its cases and avoid misrepresenting the infection as swine flu to avoid creating panic.



Dr Hayat gave the example of Mehmood Alam, 50, the brother of the deceased surgeon Dr Ahmed, who was also recently diagnosed with the same strain of flu but is stable and is under treatment at home.

This shows that the disease is manageable and all that is usually required is basic care. All those caring for flu patients who feel they are suffering from flu symptoms, such as irritation of the eyes and throat should consult a doctor immediately, he suggested.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 23^rd, 2013.