Maldivian child tested negative for swine flu, says Asiri Hospitals

The Maldivian child who died in Sri Lanka’s Asiri Hospitals had an Influenza A virus, but did not test positive for any swine influenza subtypes, the hospital has confirmed.

The hospital’s Medical Director, Dr. Hasanthie Iddamalgoda, reports on some media sources that claimed the 10-year-old had died of swine flu, and said that the child had tested positive for pneumonia and Influenza A.

“The boy was critical even when he was brought in, and was first taken to another private hospital after having been sick for ten days” Dr. Iddamalgoda said, after having assured that the boy did not have any of the Influenza A subtypes that cause swine flu.

She further said that the child was immediately given treatment at the hospital’s intensive care unit.

The Health Ministry on Monday night announced a swine flu outbreak and placed the national alert for influenza at phase three, after 51 patients had tested positive for the strain.

In an urgent notice released during the first few hours of Monday, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) – charged under the ministry to function as the administrative custodian of public health – declared an increase in respiratory infections and said it was working with health facilities and other relevant authorities to control spreading.

The HPA’s statement expressly made it a point to deter public anxiety over reported increase in H1N1 cases, stressing that it was not ‘similar to the 2009 swine flu pandemic’.

Further, while the agency had first announced the number of positive cases to be at 27, this figure had increased by almost half by the end of the day.

The Ministry announced that vaccines were too scarce to be administered to the entire population and discussions to acquire more are underway. Academic institutions, including grade schools, colleges, and universities, have been closed to deter spreading as well.