In an attempt to address the rising concerns, Dr. Hürrem Bodur, a member of the Health Ministry’s scientific board, pointed out: “Not every infected person dies of swine flu. True, 27 have died, but 250,000 infected people have recovered and developed immunity against the virus.”In a statement to the Cihan news agency, Bodur recalled that the number of deaths attributable to swine flu in Turkey has grown, but noted: “People suppose that there is no recovery from the disease because only the fatalities are reported. … A huge number of people actually recover from the illness; they display only mild symptoms. There is no reliable data showing that the virus is causing a greater number of deaths or that it has mutated.”
Hundreds of patients recover at hospitals after treatment
Noting that the number of swine flu cases verified by the ministry is currently nearly 1,600, the official pointed out that it would be wrong to conclude that only 1,600 people in Turkey have been infected, saying: “In Ankara alone, 6,000 people went to hospitals because they suspected they had swine flu. Most would probably test positive for H1N1 if the relevant tests were run. But it does not make any sense to run these tests because we know there is a swine flu outbreak in this country. We do not run tests for non-serious cases, so we do not know the actual number of swine flu cases.” Noting that patients admitted to hospitals are provided with flu treatment, Bodur further added that this treatment includes measures against fever and pain. Bodur said that antibiotics are used in case of pneumonia, adding that antiviral treatment is given to people considered to be at risk, including those confirmed to be infected with H1N1, pregnant women, children, elderly people and patients suffering from chronic kidney failure.
Asked whether the 27 fatalities included any healthy people, Bodur said that about half of the victims were not in high-risk segments of the population and further added that the same has been observed in other countries dealing with swine flu. Recalling that most of the fatalities were young adults, Bodur further underlined that 95 percent of patients admitted to hospitals in the US are adults and that the deaths include healthy people in this country. Noting that they examine all cases, Bodur said: “Sometimes the treatment does not change the course of the illness no matter what you do. It may be fatal even in apparently healthy people.”
120,000 vaccinated without serious side effects
Speaking on the ongoing controversy over H1N1 vaccination, Bodur noted that 120,000 people have been vaccinated so far but no serious side effects have been observed. Some minor side effects have been detected, including mild pain, temporary loss of hearing and moderate flu symptoms, Bodur said, adding: “We have not observed any deaths or serious side effects in connection with the vaccination. It is important to see that not even a single side effect was observed in more than 100,000 cases. … It does not bear any greater risk than those involved in other conventional shots. It is not a riskier vaccination.”
