Health Ministry Deputy Undersecretary İbrahim İşlek announced yesterday that the leading contributor to the rising cost of swine flu is panic among the public, making for increased trips to private and public health care providers, lab tests and prescriptions. The number of people visiting hospitals is expected to number a few million, with over 85 percent of these people citing swine flu concerns as their primary, secondary or tertiary reason for visiting the doctor, despite suffering from only minor illnesses that don’t require medical treatment. “People with stuffy noses are crowding the halls at emergency rooms, slowing treatment for people with more urgent health concerns -- and also running the risk of contracting more serious illnesses themselves from the other patients waiting,” İşlek warned.
Meanwhile, emergency room doctors complain that they are unable to keep up with increasing patient numbers, as their staff schedules have not changed. At Vakıf Gureba Hospital in İstanbul’s Fatih district, the number of people showing up to the emergency room children’s clinic has tripled in recent days. Doctors there complain that with only four doctors working per shift, seeing as many as 600 patients is nearly impossible, but pulling any of the 26 other doctors away from their units also creates problems in other areas. Similarly, physicians at the Yeni Mahalle Women’s Delivery Hospital complain that only three or four pediatricians on call have to see up to 60 patients each per shift. Doctors are calling for an increase in staffing to deal with the swine flu pandemic period.
Balanced diet, plentiful fluids help fight the flu
Individuals wishing to boost their immune systems to avoid contracting the flu during the winter months should take particular care to drink enough fluids, especially if they begin showing signs of illness, an Ankara University Medical School dietician has warned.
Ferdane Gül Çarkoğlu, a nutrition expert, told the Anatolia news agency that it is now more important than ever for individuals to boost their immune systems given the ever-spreading swine flu pandemic. When the human body contracts an infection, the immune system springs to its defense, she said, but there are things that people can do to support it. “Sufficient and balanced nutrition is a must. In order to accomplish this, individuals must consume sufficient amounts of food from the four basic nutritional groups: dairy products such as milk, yogurt and cheese; meat, fish and poultry; fruits and vegetables; and bread and grains. Unbalanced or insufficient nutrition leaves the body more vulnerable to infection,” Çarkoğlu said. Those suffering from diarrhea or fever should take extra care to drink plenty of liquids, especially water.
The dietician recommended that people eat three meals and three snacks a day, taking care to ensure that they are nutritionally balanced and cover the abovementioned food groups. Well-planned snacks should not be skipped, especially for persons suffering from diabetes, she said. Given the special demands of the winter season, Çarkoğlu recommended that people consume more fish in the winter, an important source of vitamin D during these months when there is less sunshine. “Vitamin C is also amongst the most important nutrients for the immune system; you should try to get some vitamin C in every meal. And in the winter in particular, it is preferable to eat vitamin A-rich foods,” she said. “Those who fail to take in enough vitamin A are more susceptible to infection.” İstanbul Today’s Zaman with wires
