Avoiding crowds, not masks, best protection against swine flu

“The media have played a major role in arousing public awareness about swine flu in Turkey. But it is enough now. Any more would create panic. There is no need for those who are not infected to wear masks for the time being,” stated Turkish Public Health Association (T-HASAK) President and public health expert Professor Hikmet Pekcan to Sunday’s Zaman. Pekcan seems to be right according to a recent survey on public knowledge about swine flu in Turkey.

According to the survey conducted by AC Nielsen, public consciousness has increased in Turkey regarding swine flu. The survey, which was carried out with the participation of 224 people over the age of 18, has shown that 91 percent of participants had heard of the pandemic, and 86 percent of those who are informed about swine flu are also informed about how the virus is transmitted. According to the survey, 72 percent of respondents noted that the virus is transmitted more commonly through aerosolized droplets -- spread by sneezing, coughing, talking or kissing. Ninety-three percent of people surveyed stated that they had been informed about swine flu through television. While 36 percent of those knowledgeable about the virus cited avoiding travel to countries that had documented swine flu deaths as a precaution, 32 percent stated that masks should be worn to avoid the virus.

“Measures taken by the Health Ministry are sufficient for the time being, and there is no need to create panic among the public. The public has been aware of the threat. Those who are infected should wear masks as well as those whose immune systems are weak. The best way to prevent the virus is to avoid going into crowded environments and frequently washing one’s hands,” says Pekcan.

Assistant Professor İbrahim Erayman of Konya Selçuk University also tells people not to ride public transportation unless it is necessary since crowded areas make the virus spread more quickly. “If a person has flu symptoms like sneezing, he or she should wear a mask. People should cover their faces with a handkerchief while sneezing or coughing,” he says.

Stressing that the swine flu virus can be transmitted through aerosolized droplets that can even enter the body through the eyes, Professor Tahsin Yeşildere, the head of the İstanbul Chamber of Veterinary Surgeons (İVHO), also says it is of crucial importance for those with flu symptoms to wear masks. Noting that everybody should be cautious about the virus, he warns people using public transportation in particular. “We should not say ‘Nothing will happen to me’ and and instead should pay attention to warnings. Hands and the nose should be frequently washed. If you are in a crowded place and sneeze, you should not cover your face with your hands but with a handkerchief,” he says.

Professor Pekcan draws attention to the current public awareness of swine flu, which helps keep the virus at bay, and says the H1N1 scare had one positive effect on the public as it got people to adopt some habits to prevent the spread of contagious diseases. “Now people are more cautious in public areas when they sneeze; they wash their hands more frequently, etc. These are ways of preventing other diseases such as seasonal influenza and hepatitis, which also claim the lives of many every year,” he adds.

Quick glance at swine flu epidemic in Turkey thus far

Vkey reported its first case of swine flu on May 15. The number of cases has increased slowly in the country until recently, when figures almost doubled in a week. Following an outbreak at an Ankara school two weeks ago, the school was closed for a week. The Health Ministry announced on Oct. 20 that 582 people had been diagnosed with swine flu in the country since May. Turkey’s first swine flu death occurred on Oct. 24 in Ankara when Mustafa Güneş died at Ankara’s Atatürk Sanatorium, where he had been receiving treatment. The Health Ministry announced on Thursday that a 34-year-old woman who had been receiving treatment for H1N1 in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır died on Thursday. With the death of the woman, Beşire Bozkurt, swine flu fatalities increased to two, and the number of people diagnosed with the virus has risen to 1,411 since May. Another statement from the ministry late Thursday indicated that a 37-year-old woman -- who had died at a hospital in the Central Anatolian province of Konya on Monday -- also died of swine flu, bringing the death toll from swine flu in Turkey to three.