RAWALPINDI: Two influenza H1N1 patients were brought to the Holy Family Hospital (HFH) where medical professionals said it was seasonal virus and curable.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) confirmed that the patients were suffering from influenza H1N1.

Sajida Bibi, a resident of Rawalpindi city, and Farzana Ahmed of Islamabad were admitted to the hospital and doctors declared their condition to be stable.

Three suspected Influenza patients are also admitted to the hospital and their serology reports would arrive from the NIH by Monday.

Mohammad Saleem was brought from Attock, Kamran Ahmed from the Rawalpindi city and Abdul Rauf from Gujar Khan.

A senior doctor at the HFH told Dawn that the patients were recovering.

He said the provincial government had already directed to ensure a sufficient stock of vaccines in the hospital.

He said it was a seasonal virus, adding children and elderly persons should be vaccinated against it.

When contacted, Dr Haroon Hashmi, the incharge of the infectious diseases ward at the hospital, said that in 2010 the name of swine flu was changed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to influenza H1N1.

He confirmed that there were two confirmed and three suspected patients admitted to the hospital and their conditional was stable.

“It is a seasonal virus but can be fatal for the elderly, children or those having a weak immune system, diabetics, asthma or cancer patients,” he said.

Dr Hashmi said influenza was a disease similar to malaria, typhoid etc., and needed immediate attention of medical professionals.

He said the cure time of the disease was not more than a week.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2018