# 8293
Yesterday, in Malaysia Reports Their 1st Imported H7N9 Case, I linked to the MOH statement, but noted that it was a bit difficult to translate properly. Overnight I received an email from a regular reader from Malaysia and native speaker of the Malaysian language (Bahasa Malaysia), who has very kindly provided a word-for-word translation the opening paragraphs.
Not only do we learn that this woman was part of a tourist group or package tour, we also learn she sought medical care for flu-like symptoms four days before departing for this trip.
Here then is that translation:
IMPORTED CASE OF AVIAN INFLUENZA A (H7N9) FROM CHINA
The Ministry of Health Malaysia would like to report one (1) imported case of Avian Influenza A(H7N9) that involves a female tourist of Chinese nationality aged 67 hailing from Guangdong Province, China who was part of a tourist group visiting Sabah, Malaysia.
Investigation revealed that the woman received early treatment in China for fever, cough, running nose, joint pain and fatigue beginning 30th January 2014, that is four (4) days before she arrived in Kuala Lumpur on 3rd February 2014. She departed on 4th February 2014 and was in Sandakan until 6th February 2014. Then, she took off to Kota Kinabalu on 6th February 2014.
On 7th February 2014, the woman became weaker and sought treatment in a private clinic from which she was referred to a district hospital. On the same day, she was transferred to a private hospital at the request of her family member(s). A preliminary test was conducted on a first sample on 9th February 2014 and was suspected of Avian Influenza A(H7N9) and another test on a second sample was confirmed as positive on 11th February 2014. Until now, the woman is still receiving treatment in an Intensive Care Unit at the hospital and is in a stable condition.
The Ministry of Health Malaysia has instituted the necessary control and preventive measures including stepping up the control of infection at the hospital. 16 people who are part of the tourist group and 4 workers at the tourist resort who were in close contact with the woman have been identified and all of them are in good health.
According to the translator, the remainder of the statement talks about the history of H7N9 history, the number of cases in China, the WHO travel advisory, and the steps taken by MOH Malaysia to deal with H7N9 and advice for the general public.
Again, my deep appreciation goes to the reader who generously took the time to translate this for us.
Last month, in Start Spreading the Flus, we talked about the potential downsides of using antipyretic meds (ibuprofen, acetaminophen or paracetamol, etc) when experiencing flu-like symptoms, as they can lull one into going to work or school, or even on vacation, and end up exposing others to the virus.
In 2009, in Vietnam Discovers Passengers Beating Thermal Scanners we looked at reports of people using fever reducing meds to evade airline passenger screening during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.
When the bills have to be paid, a deadline has to be met, or a long-planned vacation is at risk, most people will try to find a way to fight through what they believe is a `minor’ viral infection.
And while penny wise and pound foolish, society tends to reward perfect attendance and `toughing it out’ when sick, while punishing those who follow the advice of medical authorities to `stay home’ when sick. All of which conspires to make it virtually impossible to stop even a moderately infectious respiratory virus from spreading rapidly in a susceptible population.
Fortunately, unlike seasonal flu, the H7N9 virus hasn’t gained the ability to spread efficiently between humans. And if we are lucky, it never will.
But there are no guarantees what the future of H7N9 holds, and it is far from being the only emerging disease threat. Which is why most scientists concede that it is just a matter of time before the next pandemic virus emerges.
