Hundreds seeking flu treatment everyday

Around 300 people are seeking treatment for fever and flu everyday, the state-run Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital has said.

The Maldives is battling outbreaks including dengue, with the Health Protection Agency warning people to take precautions and to “be wary of false rumours.”

But a hospital official at IGMH told media Sunday that the number of patients seeking treatment for fever and flu remains unchanged.

“The number is not decreasing or increasing at the moment,” the official was quoted as saying.

Hundreds of people are also being treated at the capital’s privately run ADK hospital, which has opened a special flu clinic to cope with the surge in the number of patients.

“Some 200 people consulted about two or three days ago and the number is increasing,” managing director Ahmed Afaal told local media, although the hospital said Sunday night it had seen a “slight dip” in the number of people coming to the fever clinic.

Last week, an 84-year old woman who tested positive for influenza died while being treated at ADK.

The HPA media official was not responding to calls about the outbreaks at the time of going to press. It has warned of an increased dengue risk but has said nothing about reported fatalities connected to it.

Last Thursday it advised people to take precautionary measures against the Nipah virus due to an outbreak in Kerala, India.

Malé city council has also warned about the risk of disease outbreak due to increased litter in the capital’s streets.

More than 200 people came down with the influenza virus in early 2017, with six fatalities caused by the H1N1 or swine flu.