Two more Swine Flu cases confirmed - woman hospitalised for observation

@Darren Cassar
This report was writtin on 4 July. Today it's the 6th and the number has now increased to 24. That's where the other 6 are

18?? The WHO site is listing 24 cases in Malta - where are the other 6?
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_07_06/en/index.html

At least we have not YET heared that this is for GonziPN to blame as we are so commonly and conveniently hear about other issues like the global recession, cost of living etc.

No matter what the Maltese Health services do in this case, it is amazing how many experts and 'professuri' we have on this island. I have been listening to Mario Galea in a very interesting and informative disussion programme on Radio 101 last saturday and it really gives you mixed feelings whether to laugh or cry when after CLEAR clarifications on this issue you still get phone calls repeating the same arguments such as
- the Airport monitoring system.
- this Flu has changed from Swine Flu to H1N1 from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and yet you still hear other local channel(s) referring to is as Swine Flu.
- masks are not always effective.......etc etc etc

@ Noel Ciantar...what you said about the collecting baskets in churches is non-sense...shall we not pay we go to the grocer or shall we tell them to keep the change....its not time to throw money 'cause we have also a recession to face...

maybe instead you and me must urge people to turn to God as we did in the past so he may help us...I don't know how this virus came to life but sure God's protection is always worthed...no one is more reliable than he is...but...than we must continue after the flu has passed...I see it as another occasion that God is giving us to turn back to him...let's not loss this bus too...

Hope they will be all well....promise my prayers

What about the Isle of MTV party on Wednesday in Floriana where at least 40,000 mostly young people are expected to be crammed together? Isn#t this just what the authorities are telling us to avoid - crowds?Why not issue them with protective masks at least as a precaution. Or is Mater Dei ready and equipped for an invasion of over 15000 + possible flu suffers?

Let us face it we were not going to be the immune country for swine flu BUT have we to await the government to issue regulations and measures. the experts are saying to avoid crowds but sorry were have to go in Malta to avoid crowds have we to stay quarantine at home?

I think now it is up to us to show that we are taking action. Public places, toilets, restaurants, hotels, cinemas, churches etc etc surely be cleaned more regularly and with antibacterial agents. Let us face it sitting on atable taking a snack with the waitress coming over cleaning the table with a cloth does not imply that place is hygenic ... and what about toilets, certain places regularly clean them every hour but I think this should be enphasised more espcially in government and public places. And why not keeping an anti abcterial cream handy and regurarly cleaning your hands should also show a sign at least that we are taking action. This is a country that tourism is the main asset, we do not want to make this island the new Lazaretto!

Mr Gordon Pace,

Should us Maltese avoid travelling at all this summer season, as a precaution?

Also, what about pregnant women,,,is there something they can take should they get the flu?

What about spraying our public areas with antibacterial sprays???

I am very glad that finally we are talking about the importance of good hygiene. As a matter of fact there are other viruses and bacteria which could be controlled or at least their exposure could be minimized ,if one abides by these safety measures.
Meningitis for example, is a very serious condition which I dont think we are given enough information about it. Why did the authorities had to wait for a pandemic to publish guidelines and inform people ? Meningitis is more serious and at least the majority of swine flu cases are treated successfully. Can someone in the authorities concerned take the opportunity to educated us people more about the subject ? thanks

what about tours to the UK and Spain ,I think that responsable travel agents should cancel any tours to these countries as they seem to be most hit by the flu,does anyone agree?

Regarding the order for the holy communion by hand only I agree 100% yet it is not enough. Today I went to church and noticed that the priest coughed more than once during the mass, covering his mouth with his hand (for now it is ok). Yet during the holy communion the priest used the same hand.

I would suggest as well that before the holy communion, the priest should wash his hands as well.

What about summer schools? Is it safe to send our children?

It's really strange how till Friday we didn't hear of one single case of swine flu in Malta, and now in just three days we have 18!!
What happened in just a short time??!!
Is it a coincidence that the announcement by the health authorities came only a few days after our students ended their scholastic year?

At J Vella,

I'm sure the so mention persons at Mater Dei Hospitals are put in single negative pressure rooms, not in the middle of a bay coughing and sneezing on others. So I don't think it will spread so easily in hospital.

How come Holy Communion was administered as usual at St.Francis church (Valletta) 5.30 pm mass yesterday? No reference was made about the new instructions for communion to be administered by hand only. Hope this was a one time thing.

Also if foreigners keep coming with swine flu symptoms are the authorities going to keep on giving them tamiflu which was meant for the maltese population?

The new regime of giving Holy communion only on the the hand does not eliminate the risk of contamination so when you go to receive Holy communion you are still at risk to get infected with the virus. The Curia should also abolish the use of wicker baskets that get passed from one hand to an other while collecting cash for as well!!!!

The sometimes "flippant" attitude towards Swine flu is actually causing the spread of this disease.
I personally don't see any reason to panic but I do get very cross when, at a restaurant yesterday a gentleman, who in my mind should have known better, blew his nose into his napkin and placed it on his plate!
I was furious and politely told him so. Malta is a small island and we do not need a major outbreak of swine flu. His initial retort was, "swine flu is all over the UK and I haven't caught it yet". (throws hands in air)
Whether this "gentleman" had, "just" a chill, or for that matter was blowing his nose due to hay fever or some other allergy, putting a used tissue on a plate to be removed by the waiter, passed to a kitchen aid, passed on and so on is how diseases are spread and I have no problem whatsoever in making my point when anyone decides to parade unhygienic practices in my company.
My gift to him? A spare bottle of hand sanitizer and a small zip lock plastic bag for his used tissues.

We have to live whatever it happens and what ever comes. do not blame others just take precautions and thats all we can do to live our lives Others have to follow and be patient with others. we all leave in the same world i guess. Take actions immidiately if you feel something because we have medical staff are ready to help us and we help them by fooloe instructions.

Hi Daniela Ebejer

FOREIGN students and tourist sneezing in your face ?????

Open your eyes and see how (lots of) the Maltese sneeze !!! They never heard of using tissue or protect with the hand. Come on......................

Dear All,

Kindly note the following:

1. All the persons that have been diagnosed as having the Influenza A H1N1 are recovering well. The young foreign lady was hospitalised purely for better observation.

2. The foreign baby who was being given treatment at the Gozo General Hospital was released yesterday afternoon.

3. Basic hygiene practices, which actually we should be observing every day, are still the most effective precautions.

4. Tamiflu should only be taken if instructed by your doctor. As regards children, there is a "children's version" so as to speak. However, may I stress that this should only be taken if instructed by your doctor.

5. As regards the vaccine, we all need to wait for the World Health Organisation to officially declare that a vaccine has been found. However please note that if a vaccine is found there will be a "testing period" which is normally of 6 months. The Maltese Government has agreements with pharmaceutical companies with orders for the A H1N1 Vaccine once this is found and confirmed.

I thank everyone for their contribution.

best regards
Gordon Pace
Communications Coordinator
Parliamentary Secretariat for the Elderly & Community Care
gordon.pace@gov.mt

With all the locked windows at Mater Dei and the circulation of air. I think that it will spread and the amount of people infected will get out of hand in hours and not days

Karl Farrugia:

Napprezza li kkoregejtni fuq l Meningitis, it was a misconception i wasn't aware of, sorry.
The problem is, I suffer from a major Pulmonary Problem, and have an 8month old baby.

Seriously, I don't wish to die, I dont want my baby to die, and neither do I want my grand parents to die. Now i'm not exaggerating, but I wish to live, and i know i'm not the only one with problems, so i hope the others respond to this blog in a positive way. I don't wish to exagerate, but seeing an "I don't care" attitude doesn't make me feel safe, that's why I take the defensive.

if the persons in the same household of the effected patients are given tamiflu as a precaution, what if they actually contract the virus later on, would the administration of tamiflu for a second time have the same response ?

and given the importance of good hygiene especially the washing of hands is being repeated over and over again, though this is a very good suggestion, trying to teach 3 year olds will only fall on deaf ears...............is it a matter of considering whether kindergardens should open their doors in October............or at least offer this option to parents......till when the vaccine is made available ?

what is the treatment option of young children since they cannot actually swallow tamiflu ?

in UK it is projected that the vaccine should be available from late august till d end of the year so why in Malta we should await til January / February ?

I believe that the church has acted in a fast and efficient manner.Regarding the fact that people still meet up in Paceville and in other places in crowds , I say the only way that we can stop this to isolate Malta for a month and keeping all foriegners away after that and all Maltese stop traveling as well. so bye bye Airmalta and other carriers and stuff so please just follow the instructions given and live a normal life.What is really scaring me is the isle of MTV the number of cases is going to run into hundreds withen a week or so.Let's work together and help each other on this .

Karl Farrugia, you are probably 90% correct with what you have commented on. However don't be so flippant with the view that if,God forbid, you contracted "Swine Flu" you will get over it so easily. Everyone is different. Lastly you shouldn't mock a fellow blogger for his spelling/pronounce-ism, namely Stephen Farrugia, I'm English and even i struggle to spell the Queens English. Thank you spell checker

I repeat my advice to those who have some scruples (about clean hands) when receiving the Holy Host. Keep a small packet of wet wipes in your bag/pocket and use one before going up to receive Holy Communion. ( Please keep the wipe, which will have turned dry, and dispose of when you get back home or in the first available bin).
There are presently in the market, some liquid cleaners which leave the hands dry. Ask you chemist, he will know about them. Perhaps to some it will be a better solution.

It is not only the swine flu that can infect others trough contact with saliva. There are more serious deseases such as T.B. and others.
As for cleanliness, let us not exagerate in such a way that wash hand basins would have to be installed in churches and people queing to wash their hands before receiving the holy Host.
Let's not go from one extreme to the other. Regarding money, collection could be made after Holy Communion to avoid scruples. Remember that handling money is a continuous exercise.

Every airport in Europe is equipped with a thermal imaging camera. Even the airport in Tripoli has one installed. The idea is to detect infected people running a temperature before they enter the country, Its not 100% secure but better than not having anything. All the infected cases we have in Malta are of Maltese and foreigners who arrived infected from abroad. I wonder if not having a thermal camera at out airport was a good idea!!!!!!

I can understand the decision the Curia has taken about the holy communion but what about others like doctors, bus and taxi drivers or people like me that work in a pharmacy with tens of foreign students or tourists coughing and sneezing in our face everyday?!

If people were to keep a bottle of Antibacterial Moisturising Hand Gel and use it frequently after handling money, public door handles and Shopping Trolleys, then perhaps we can contribute towards controlling the virus.

During the collection in mass everyone handles his own money. No one fiddles with this money (I hope)... at most it's the one or two persons in charge of counting the collection that need protection... but then again, if these wash their hands with some soap, no risk is incurred.

@j borg
il ministri straordinarji tat-tqarbin fil parocca taghna kollha narahom jersqu jahslu subajhom qabel iqarbnu lin-nies l-ohra.

Stephen Farrugia. Primarily its meningitis not melingitis. secondly, by panicking, we'll achieve nothing.in layman's terms, its a mutated version of the flu. its an epidemic in terms of its spread.. but only weak people with respiratory problems for instance, old people or little children with weak immune systems are at risk mostly. if i had to get it, it would present itself like a flu following which they would administer tamiflu which the virus is responding to for the time being, and its brought under control. by panicking and freaking out other people, the situation will only be made to seem worse than it is. if you suspect u have something, DON'T FLOCK IN MASSES TO HOSPITAL. calmly call your gps and stay home..for all you know you could pick it up by flocking to some emergency room at mater dei where someone there might actually have it and really pass it on!

I think giving out Holy Communion by hand has lowered the respect towards the sacrament, and made it more a human thing than a Godly thing.

I still see some people saying "U ija" or "mux xorta" .... Cynics...all cynics... its an epidemic... not a walk in the park! Remember how many died of melengitis??

At this stage I do not mind holy communion in hands but before this I did not like the idea as it is impossible to have clean hands enough for holy communion after shaking hands and handling money.

I am glad that the church took a decision but what about the authorities? what if an infected person is out in paceville? in a crowded bar? This is not a question of a panic or not but a decision to control the situation or not.

A very wise decision. Well done.

Holy Communion in hands is a good thing but I must remind everyone to not let any tissues behind after the Mass is over - it's an irresponsible act always...

Just to remind everyone that to receive communion in hands, one must see that his/her hands are clean...not just because of hygene but also to show respect to Christ.

Before Holy Communion we have to handle money in respect of the collection, couldn't this be done after as we know that handling of money is the worst carrier of microbes and viruses.

J.Azzopardi
Totally agree.
This is BASIC HYGIENE.

@ Ms Carmen Dimech - If we are going to stop 'shaking hands' in church we should stop it everywhere.

I totally agree with Curia directions. I suggest also that the priest washes his hands on tha altar also before he gives Eucharist to people. This applies also to lay people whol delivers such ministry during mass. Hope this will be for ever and not as a precaution just for a few days. Thanks for common sense.

Very good decision taken by Curia. Also why don't the authorities give more attention to those coming from abroad??? looks like this summer we wont be invaded by illegal immigrants but by foreign infected people or those who came from abroad and infected!!! If the flu ends in Malta we are in deep problems!

Agree with j.azzopardi... this should have been implemented time ago... it's very unhygienic to distribute Holy Communion touching people's lips one after the other.

Kollox jghodd pero meta jkollok event bhall-'Isle of Mtv' , nahseb li xi haga hekk hija hazina immens specjalment tikkonsidra kemm ikun iffullat

Nissuggerixxi li t-tqarbien bl-idejn jibqa ghall-dejjem.

Why doesn't curia also advice those people who help the priests in holy comunion to wash there hands as well!!!!
So we see the priests washing there hands on the altar before handling holy comunion and then people go up to help him and start handing out holy comunion without washing there hands......which they do after!!!!

@ J. Azzoppardi:

I was once present at a mass where a person, after receiving the holy communion in her mouth, took it out and was going with it out of the church if it haven't been for some men who stopped her. I don't mean to accuse anyone, but, there may be some risks if this decision will become a standard one. The holy communion is meant to remain in church, except for special cases, and we all know that some people (which I really won't like to mention) steal the Holy Communion to perform disgusting rites.

I don't want to be misleaded by any means though- I totally agree with the Curia, and beleive that people who offer any kind of service to the community (priests, doctors etc.) must be protected in any means possible.

Please Ms. Dimech, let's stop all this fuss. Malta was the last place in the world that was contaminated!So what should bigger countries like Italy and Uk do? the less thing we want right now is to have people at home panicking....what if people will stop travelling? we would all remain without a job!

Finally some common Sense!!!

Prosit Curia. Very sensible. However now that you switched on, make this order valid forever, Swine flu or no Swine flu. Its basic hygiene !

I totally agree with the Curia. Another precaution would be not to ask people to shake hands when giving the sign of peace.