Hotline hit with a flood of calls

The Public Health Ministry's flu hotline has been flooded with calls amid rising concerns about the disease.

"Most calls are about the influenza A (H1N1)'s symptoms and treatment," deputy permanent secretary Paijit Warachit said yesterday.

More than 2,100 calls had been received. "That means there's one call every minute," he said.

The hotline numbers 1422 and (02) 590-3333 are in service 24 hours a day.

Yesterday 412 new cases were confirmed, bring total reported infections since the 2009 flu emerged here in late April to 4,469. Of them, 25 have died.

Paijit said 90 per cent of infected people would just experience mild symptoms and could recover within five days.

"But if patients have developed severe symptoms or their symptoms do not subside within 48 hours, they must seek immediate treatment," he said.

Those with chronic diseases are also recommended to see a doctor as soon as they developed any flu-like symptoms.

In Chumphon, Pratuang Opaso, 62, came down with flu-like symptoms on Sunday night and succumbed to the illness on Tuesday morning.

Pratuang suffered from hypertension and heart disease and weighed 125 kilograms.

"She had serious lung infections," said Dr Anu Thongdaeng, director of Paknam Chumphon Hospital.

She was admitted on Monday morning but her condition was so serious she was transferred to a better-equipped hospital, he said.

"But she still didn't make it," he said.

Lab tests yesterday confirmed her fatality was due to the new flu.

She fell ill not long after her two nieces developed fevers. The girls had now fully recovered.

"The disease mainly spreads among students," said Dr Yongyos Thammawut, a preventive-medicine expert at the Chumphon Public Health Office.

Khon Kaen University's Nong Khai campus was closed yesterday for the rest of this week after two students and one staff member caught the virus. "We have to take precautions," director Surapol Sansuk said.

In Chaiyaphum, classes at six schools and two nurseries were suspended from today till next Friday. "The measure is in response to the influenza A (H1N1) threat," mayor Banyong Kiatkongchuchai said.

Although facemasks were now recommended for crowded places, very few people were seen wearing one yesterday.