Two people in Yangon have passed away due to swine flu (also known as H1N1), officials at the Yangon General Hospital announced today.
Earlier this week, authorities had confirmed that there were three H1N1 patients in Yangon who were in critical condition. The two that passed away last night were not among the previously reported three patients.
One of the deceased was a man from the Bago Region, and another a pregnant woman from another region, 7Day reports. Both had come to Yangon for treatment after falling very ill. They passed away on Monday night, just hours after arriving at the hospital. It was only after hospital officials ran tests the next day that they were able to confirm that the deceased had been infected with swine flu.
On Monday, the Ministry of Health and Sports confirmed that three people in Yangon and ten in Chin State have received treatment for the potentially fatal disease. However, Dr. Than Tun Aung, the Deputy Director-General of the infectious diseases department, told Reuters that the government has neither any vaccines for H1N1 nor any effective treatment for people who are already infected.
News of the infections rapidly spread on social media, and several Yangon residents were already wearing face masks as of Monday.
Swine flu spreads from person to person, either by inhaling the virus when an infected person nearby coughs or sneezes, or by touching surfaces contaminated with the virus, then touching the mouth or nose. Symptoms resemble those of other seasonal flus and include coughing, fever, sore throat, stuffy or runny nose, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. The virus can lead to more serious problems, including pneumonia, lung infection, and other respiratory issues.
Reader Interactions