First doctor to die from H1N1 infection

A British GP has recently been reported to have died after catching H1N1

Dr Michael Day, from Bedfordshire, north of London, died on Saturday at Luton and Dunstable Hospital, local NHS officials said.
Tests showed he had tested positive for the H1N1 virus, known as swine flu, although the exact cause of death was still unknown.

While details are sketchy at this point in time, it is a warning to healthcare workers that they must be vigilant and continue to take protective measures. In the US, at least 81 healthcare workers have contracted H1N1 according to the CDC, about half most likely in a healthcare setting. In the MMWR reminds healthcare workers the importance to adhering to infection control guidelines:

Routine infection-control recommendations to decrease the risk for transmission of seasonal influenza to HCP include vaccination, isolation of infected patients in single rooms, and use of standard precautions and droplet precautions. For infections with the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus, because of the lack of a vaccine and little initial information regarding the severity and transmissibility of the virus, CDC’s interim infection-control recommendations for the care of patients with such infections have included the use of fit-tested N95 respirators, eye protection, and contact precautions in addition to routine infection-control practices applied to seasonal influenza. In addition, CDC has recommended that aerosol-generating procedures (e.g., bronchoscopy) should be performed in an airborne infection–isolation room with negative pressure air handling. In this analysis, among the 11 HCP infected because of probable or possible patient to HCP transmission for whom information was available, none adhered to these recommended practices completely.

The Malaysian public should appreciate our healthcare system where the dedicated under-appreciated workforce of nurses, MAs, doctors etc. face healh hazards daily in the course of their work. I don’t think we are going to see a situation like in Argentina where there are reports of some hospitals where 40% of workers did not show up for work.
The WHO has sounded the clarion call for a vaccine. This is needed urgently and the priority should go to healthcare workers who are in the front-line. The Health Minister has made a similar pronouncement. Development and supply of the vaccine is still months away so the only thing we can do is be vigilant and take infection control precautions.