Special Report: Why is Influenza A H1N1 persisting?

Despite the spread of Influenza A H1N1 showing signs of warning, it is still continuing to travel through the population and result in unique and disturbing cases such as the possible infection of fetuses, which have been predicted to result in premature birth. The situation has called for a more thorough review of reasons as to why the spread is persisting in Thailand.

The National News Bureau of Thailand has conducted an analysis of the publication of the Influenza A H1N1 pandemic in hopes of better understanding why the virus’ spread is continuing despite a general consensus of fear towards the illness. NNT has found that due to fatalities linked to the outbreak, news outlets throughout the nation have heavily covered the matter with an emphasis on growing infection numbers and deaths. The coverage resulted in public panic but at the same time failed to dispense useful information on how to prevent the flu’s continued spread. The Ministry of Public Health has only recently realized this fact and stepped up its efforts to educate the public. Many citizens can now be seen adhering to the ministry’s urgings by wearing face masks and using hand gels.

The media has begun to turn its efforts towards informing the public of prevention measures against the new flu strain while the Ministry of Public Health has expressed confidence that the illness will become controllable. Concern over the disease has begun to drop but new infection sites have also begun to emerge. The ministry has dispensed medication against Influenza A H1N1 to clinics and medical facilities across the country amidst the request from doctors of ensuring that medicine will be used properly to avoid resistance or mutation of the virus. Physicians state that even if symptoms are resolved during early usage of medicine, patients should continue to finish their prescription.

Thai attitudes towards illness and medical care have to an extent exacerbated the situation as many do not immediately seek medical attention when experiencing symptoms as well as many who choose to self medicate. Overall the nation can attribute its current struggle against Influenza A H1N1 to slowed reactions on the part of the public and news media, a lesson that can be learnt for future threats.