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| New measures to control A/H1N1 flu |
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| HONG KONG, July 9 (Xinhua) -- As influenza A/H1N1 has become endemic among global communities, more and more Asian countries have taken new measures to control the flu by focusing on high-risk patients instead of mass quarantine from the virus.
Malaysian Health authorities announced Thursday that three measures have been taken to control the A/H1N1 flu in Malaysia, where a total of confirmed cases have rose to 574. Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai said that Malaysia was moving into the mitigation phase in order to slow down the spread of the virus within the country. He said the ministry introduced the containment stage since the outbreak of the disease, while the mitigation phase involved three measures. He explained that the main measure of mitigation phase involvedthe people in prevention and control of the disease, including social distancing, reduced public interaction and practiced self-hygiene. He said that the second measure was for mild cases of cough and fever, the patients would undergo home quarantine. He added that the third measure involved the hospitalization for the high risk groups with the virus, in the meantime they were diagnosed with asthma, chronic respiratory illness, diabetes, organ failure, obesity and pregnant women. In China, the Ministry of Health said Wednesday that people in close contact with A/H1N1 flu patients will no longer be quarantined in specially reserved places, and patients with mild symptoms may receive treatment at home. Close contacts now include people who diagnosed, treated, nursed or visited a patient, people who worked or lived with a patient, and people who contacted the spit or body fluid of a patient. And on aircraft, close contacts include eight passengers surrounding a patient, the notice said. The adjustment is aimed to ensure timely and effective treatment of severe cases, the notice said. The notice also urged all regions to strengthen prevention and control work on special groups including the old, the sick and the pregnant. The similar measures have been taken by Japanese government in which flu patients are allowed to cure by themselves at home as well as permitting all clinics nationwide to treat the patients. Singapore's heath authorities said on Wednesday that it will focus on high-risk groups and continue to track the progress of the outbreak. The ministry said based on the current mild clinical picture of the flu, contact tracing and home quarantine orders are generally not required. "By focusing on high-risk patients needing hospitalization, we can provide these patients with the best chance of a full recovery," the ministry said. As of Tuesday, The country has confirmed a total of 1,217 cases. So far, A/H1N1 flu has infected more than 94,000 people in the world, including 429 deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). |
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