By NNN-Bernama,
Kuala Lumpur : Despite public concern on the dangers of the Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic, 99.2 per cent of the 9,257 patients who have been confirmed infected by the virus in Malaysia have recovered, Disease Control director Dr Hassan Abdul Rahman said on Tuesday.
He said it showed that patients infected with the virus could recover if they received early treatment.
“Majority of the patients who tested positive for H1N1 in the country have recovered after receiving treatment.
“Therefore, do not take lightly if one has symptoms of H1N1, even if it’s only a slight cough, ” he told reporters after a media briefing on Influenza A (H1N1) here today.
On the number of deaths due to H1N1, he said, it remained at 73 for the fifth consecutive day.
Until Aug 31, Johor recorded the highest number of death with 13 out of the 855 confirmed H1N1 cases.
The highest number of H1N1 cases is reported in Selangor, totalling 1,868 people with eight deaths.
Dr Hassan said most of the deaths involving H1N1 cases involved patients in the age group of between 15 and 29, with 19 deaths, followed by 12 cases each in the 30 to 44 and 45 to 59 age groups.
Meanwhile, Sungai Buloh Hospital infectious diseases head and senior consultant physician, Dr Christopher Lee said not all patients with suspected infection needed to be seen by a health provider.
He said even for most people, the symptoms appeared to be mild and self-limiting.
“A minority of people with H1N1 have had severe illness with complications, and many, but not all, have underlying risk factors are likely to have contributed to the severity of the condition,” he said.
According to Dr Lee, the majority of H1N1 cases in Sungai Buloh Hospital were from rural areas resided by elderly and less educated people.
He said the government would have to think of a way to reach out to these groups who did not read newspapers or use the Internet.