Pregnant women, children under five need flu treatment

By Sheilah Downey (sheilahd@foodconsumer.org)

Doctors shouldn't wait for test results to begin treatment for the swine flu virus, as the World Health Organization reports the H1N1 virus is the dominant strain "from all outbreak sites."

In the briefing issued yesterday, the WHO said that worldwide most patients with the pandemic virus generally recover within a week, even without antivirals, and recommended healthy people need not be treated.

But for patients who have severe illness or whose condition worsens, the WHO recommends treatment with oseltamivir "as soon as possible," stated the briefing.

The WHO is also recommending that doctors not rely on the presence of underlying conditions, which health officials at first thought would be an indication of the outcome of the virus.

"Worldwide, around 40 percent of severe cases are now occurring in previously healthy children and adults, usually under the age of 50 years," stated the release.

Pregnant women and children under the age of five, who are included in the severe-risk group, should also be treated with antivirals as soon as symptoms begin.

Clinical deterioration is characterized by primary viral pneumonia, which destroys the lung tissue and does not respond to antibiotics, said the WHO notice. Patients who contract pneumonia require intensive care units and therapies in addition to antiviral treatment.

Danger signs to watch for in children who may become infected with the virus include fast or difficult breathing, lack of altertness, difficulty waking up and little or no desire to play, said the WHO recommendations.

Danger signs in all patients include: shortness of breath, either during activity or while resting; difficulty breathing; turning blue; bloody or colored sputum; chest pain; altered mental states; high fever that persists beyond three days and low blood pressure.