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Message: <blockquote data-quote="hashini84" data-source="post: 5712435" data-attributes="member: 117751">SWINE FLU DEADLY VIRUS DETECTED IN SRILANKA<img src="http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/TagImg/NO%20TAG.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />                                                                                                                                                                 By Kelum Bandara      <img src="http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/ArticleImages/pl3ipsq1rnkqfp45uayvgrri_DSC_8734.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />  [FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]A concerned looking Health Minister Nimal Siripala deSilva looks on as Dr. Firdosi R. Mehta, the acting representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Sri Lanka, speaks during the press briefing last night to announce the discovery of Swine flu in Sri Lanka. Pic by Pradeep K. Pathirana[/FONT]The first case of H1N1 influenza (commonly known as swine flu) was reported in Sri Lanka yesterday. The patient was an eight year old child who had arrived  here from Australia on Sunday. The case was detected by the health authorities at around 4.00pm yesterday, and steps were taken to keep the patient isolated at the IDH in Angoda with special medical arrangements. Addressing a hurriedly summoned press conference last evening, Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said that the father of the infected child had informed the health authorities about the symptoms upon their arrival, and subsequent action had been taken to admit the child to hospital. A sibling of the affected child had also been detained at Singapore airport due to high fever.  The minister said that this information was also passed on to Sri Lanka through the diplomatic channel established for this purpose.  After medical experiments and tests, it was confirmed that the child had contracted H1N1 influenza,” the minister said. He said there was no reason to panic as medical facilities had been put in place to contain the spread of the disease  “We expected such patients to be encountered in Sri Lanka because there were 1823 infected cases reported in Australia where a lot of Sri Lankans live.  The government has set up a special machine at the airport to identify infected persons. However, a person falls sick with H1N1 only a few days after contracting the virus. So anyone in the initial stages of the disease will not be detected by this machine,” he said. The minister said that all hospitals had been alerted, and sufficient stocks of medicine were available to treat patients.   <img src="http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/ArticleImages/pl3ipsq1rnkqfp45uayvgrri_SWINE-FLU.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />The government has decided to subject to medical check-ups all the passengers and crew on the flight on which the child arrived,.  This child is one of an eight-member group that arrived in Sri Lanka to attend a wedding in Wattala. Some of their friends and relatives from Puttalam had also participated at this wedding ceremony along with them. They too will be tested for possible infection.  Dr. Geethani Wickramasinghe the virologist at the Medical Research Institute said that the symptoms and signs of Swine Flue were fever, cough, sore throat, headache, body aches and occasional vomiting and diarrhoea.   She said that the disease could be spread through nasal secretions of the infected persons. Dr. Mrs. Wickramasinghe advised anyone developing such symptoms to consult a doctor as soon as possible.   Dr. Firdosi R. Mehta, the acting World Health Organisation Representative in Sri Lanka, said that 35,928 H1N1 cases had been reported worldwide, with 162 deaths, up to June 15. He said that infected persons had been found in 75 countries, with the highest number of cases being reported in the United States, Mexico    and Canada. One death had also been reported in the United Kingdom. Dr. Mehta said that the WHO raised the pandemic level from five to six on June 11, and the severity of the disease was categorised as moderate. “It means the fatality rate is very low,” he said. He stressed that there was no reason for people to panic.  “An H1 N1 case was expected in Sri Lanka. When it would come was the question. This case was detected within 24 hours. It means the system is in place,” he said. The WHO has assisted the government in stockpiling anti-viral drugs to contain the disease.  Dr. Sudath Peiris of the Epidemiological Unit of the Health Ministry emphasised the need for such patients to maintain hand hygiene to prevent the spread of the disease through their nasal secretions. Infected persons are also instructed to stay separate from others and avoid public transportation and public places. They are also requested to use a handkerchief to cover their mouth and nose.</blockquote>

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