‘Swine flu can help develop immunity’

Novel A H1N1 (swine flu in humans) is a kind of virus which causes seasonal flu, and it’s not a serious disease. Other viral fevers such as Japanese Encephalitis and Dengue fever are much more dangerous than H1N1.

In the US, more than 2.5 million cases have been detected with swine flu, but people are not being subjected to tests, neither are they quarantined, unless the person is in an advanced stage of the flu.

Tests should be carried out only if the patient is in the advanced stage of the flu, where the patient shows symptoms like high fever, discomfort while breathing, and has a toxic look. Or else, if a person has a mild infection, it is better to let the virus circulate in the community so that the whole community develops herd immunity and protects large portions of the population. This is called herd immunity.

It is just like gaining immunity through vaccination, which provides protection to individuals. Eradication of a communicable disease like H1N1 depends on the development of a high level of herd immunity.

The government should leverage the existing research and development centres for virology to anticipate virus strains that could affect people in the coming season and formulate a vaccine for the same.

A vaccine would be more effective in controlling the spread of flu if all children in the age group of six months to five years are administered the vaccine.

H1N1 would continue roughly for two more months. Once the summer season begins, the weather itself would kill the virus rather than Tamiflu. The virus is not found so much in coastal areas and dry regions such as Kerala and Rajasthan.
(The writer is a paediatrician at Lakeside Medical  Centre and Hospital)