Sooner or later, it had to happen.

When, early in July, it was announced that Malta had its first cases of A(H1N1) or, as it is commonly known, swine flu, some time or another we had to have our first victim.

With travelling being part and parcel of everyday life, with so many Maltese going abroad for their holidays and many foreigners coming over to Malta for theirs, it was a question of “when, and not if” the disease would have made it to our shores. And with most countries reporting deaths, it was not difficult to predict that we would have soon had our first Maltese death too.

It happened last Monday, when an 82-year-old woman died in hospital due to complications related to the virus. She had been admitted to Mater Dei last Friday.

And, like most other reported deaths in other countries, the woman had been suffering from chronic heart and respiratory problems, making her more vulnerable to the virus than other people.

As said, this first death was expected, and there is a great possibility that others will follow. But it does not mean that we should start to panic, or worry more than is necessary. The swine flu virus has been given more media attention than other strains, but it does not follow that it is more dangerous. Even seasonal influenza can be fatal in certain cases where the patient is suffering from other life-threatening conditions.

As a people, we tend to panic when affronted with news that could affect our livelihood. There were occasions when the shelves of supermarkets were emptied as people bought more supplies than they needed upon hearing of some form of catastrophe that was on its way - even though this catastrophe eventually never took place.

It is hoped that we will not pile up our homes with preserved food and lock ourselves in. The government has made it clear that it has taken and is taking all the necessary precautions. Just as much as the people who were first infected were taken care of and cured, people who contract the virus will get the necessary treatment, and the great majority of them will survive. Many of those who were infected have said that they could not understand why such a big fuss is being made about the whole issue.

We repeat, it is only people who are more vulnerable than others who run a greater risk. It does not mean that they will automatically die; it means that they will need more treatment and will probably take longer to recover. Most of them will.

In fact, in the statement issued on Tuesday, the government said that 198 of the 244 people who caught the virus recovered without complications. Another 37 are currently in quarantine.

That the way swine flu cases are being tackled has become a routine procedure can also be seen from the fact that whereas, in the earlier stages, all people with symptoms were being swab-tested for swine flu, in more recent weeks only the more vulnerable patients are receiving such tests. This is being done to make sure whether they have swine flu or another condition as early as possible, so that treatment can start immediately.

Having said this, it is still important that all precautions are taken, and that anyone with symptoms of the flu should make contact with his or her general practitioner. Washing one’s hands on a regular basis is also known to help prevent the virus from spreading - although one should not need to be told to keep one’s hands clean.