Chances of genetic fusion between the seasonal flu virus and the swine flu (H1N1) virus are “very small”, although nobody can really tell how the viruses will interact, according to Nigel F. Lightfoot, chief adviser to the UK government on the influenza pandemic.
Prof. Lightfoot addressed a press conference at the parliamentary secretariat for community care yesterday, saying that the spread of the flu is inevitable, but the death rate is only expected to be about 0.1 per cent of the British population.
Prof. Lightfoot, who is married to a Maltese and is currently on holiday in Malta, has delivered a lecture on the pandemic to health care professionals.
Speaking about border controls to avoid the spread of the flu virus, he said experience with this pandemic has shown that such controls have not worked at all, particularly because people may not be running a temperature before they develop the illness.
Considering that the incubation period is seven days, it is biologically close to impossible to prevent the virus from spreading by having border controls in place, said Prof. Lightfoot, adding that thermal cameras are only about 20 per cent efficient in detecting whether someone would be running a temperature.
He said the swine flu virus has mostly been affecting young people, mostly in the 20-29 age group, and this is probably because older people had met similar viruses before, so they have a higher immunity to H1N1.
Rosemarie Azzopardi, a woman who contracted the virus at the beginning of the month, spoke about her experience during yesterday’s press conference, saying it was just like normal flu.
Her husband was diagnosed with H1N1 on returning from Spain, and she and her eight-year-old daughter were diagnosed with the flu virus soon after. Her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, whom she breastfeeds, did not catch the flu.
The parliamentary secretary for community care, Mario Galea said 73 of the 92 people diagnosed with the flu virus in Malta have recovered and are no longer in quarantine.
The parliamentary secretariat is working on a set of television spots to raise awareness about precautions people should take to avoid catching the flu.
Meanwhile, in a statement, the National Pandemic Committee said it never issued instructions to immigration officers working at Malta International Airport to wash their hands every 10 minutes in nearby rest rooms, even if the Union Haddiema Maghqudin, which issued the directive, stated that this was “in conformity with instructions issued by the National Pandemic Committee”.
The committee has repeatedly directed the public to observe the basic requirements of hygiene, particularly to resort to frequently washing one’s hands with soap and water.
In the circumstances, there would appear to be clearly no basis for the directive and it should therefore be withdrawn, said the committee.