The Idiocy Arising From H1N1

38 deaths with 2253 number of cases (yesterday's data at 12 p.m.).... that's the number to crunch for today. And if I do my arithmetic, that means a 1.7% mortality rate. The Spanish Flu had a 2.5%, I think. And with that also it took 50 - 100 million lives. Is that figure big enough? Well, WHO says the worldwide mortality rate stands at 0.7% at last check. Which means that ours is more than double the world body's. Singapore has almost the same number of infections like us but with only 9 deaths, which translates a rather low rate. So what is wrong with our statistics? We over reporting or under reporting? Our health care system not up to par?

And the gahmen keeps saying they have it under control. Information comes sporadically from either the Health Minister... whom some are saying he's very 'soi'(unlucky) and the DG of Health. Not much from the docs on the ground. We surely must be adding on to the world's percentage. And this adds to more paranoia. And we are also denying those who truly need the medical care the attention they need because the hospital waiting rooms are now full of people with influenza-like-illness (ILI). Chaos is indeed reigning cos the hospitals are swamped with people with flu-like-symptoms. *sigh* And the poor staff are all overworked!

In the news today, the PM says they are going to launch full scale education of the public.... when the spread is now swinging ahead full steam. It's a bit late now but I guess something is better than nothing. The PM should visit the GH(s) to gauge the situation...

And schools... let me begin with the ghost called Kiasu (Hokkien for afraid to lose out) who prowl the corridors. You see Kiasu is found in the parents and teachers. Kiasu parents send their sick children to school to sit for the exam. When you explain to them that their kids are infectious, they tell you the exam is very important. As though they can tell the virus what not to do. So their kids go to school because they feel their kids seem to be able to cope with the disease. Even if it's not H1N1, good practice should be the way to go.... but we have this tidak apa attitude.

The idiocy stemming from this... they forget that there are kids who might have underlying problems at school. They forget that there are kids with grandfathers and grandmothers at home who are susceptible to the disease. They forget that there are kids with family members with other underlying problems. No! These Kiasu(s) don't give a second thought to all these. All that matter is their kid can go for the exams/tests!

Then teachers tell the sick children.... "Come to school, take the exam. You can go back immediately after the exam." I wonder whether the school has this special ability to stop the virus from finding new hosts. Idiocy arising from H1N1... parents and teachers. Hello! Don't these people read the WHO recommendations... and that the kids are infectious for up to 8 days! In Singapore, they automatically hand you a 7 day leave if you balik from overseas or exhibit any symptoms! That's how serious they take this pandemic! We treat this pandemic as if we are taking a stroll in the park. We don't bat our eyelids when 10 month old babies die because of the flu, or 20 year old seemingly healthy college kid is found dead in his hostel because of the flu. It's a good opportunity to teach social responsibility... not just I want.. I want mentality. But we don't bother...

Kiasu is followed by another ghost called Kiasi (afraid to die). You see this Kiasi Ghost will take the sick child straight to the doctor after the exam to be treated for the fever which of course will naturally rise after a couple of hours of exam (when the fever is suppressed by the medicine)... body already stressed by virus... stress some more by the exam. Then the Kiasi will ask the doc, "Doc, you think my child can go for her exam?". Doc says better rest.. Then the Kiasi says.. "But exam very important. Maybe I send her and pick her up immediately." And the school complies, even encourages it.... sick children come to school, other children become sick. If that is not another idiocy... then what is! Exams won't matter to dead children, you know!

Civil society?? Still some way to go! Kiasu, Kiasi.... we used to laugh at the Singaporeans. We are no better than them! Look at their figures.. only 9 dead compared to ours. And their infection started way earlier than ours... H1N1... It has really shown us what idiots we can be! I am ranting and raving a lot on this, I know.. but really beh tahan at our lack of responsibility and the lack of social responsibility!

Anyway read this pekeliling from the Pengarah Kesihatan.... arahan dan nasihat sudah diberikan tetapi nampaknya ramai yang tidak kisah! And they don't want to close schools cos ini akan menganggu proses pengajaran & pembelajaran. Look what the Mumbai authorities did. Read here. Even the ghost of Kiasu is in our gahmen. Let's hope Kiasi come visiting next. Then maybe they'll start thinking about closing the schools to break the cycle of infection. Thankfully, H1N1 has not been that virulent.

There are plenty more idiocies... demands that workers be paid full if they fall sick. Small industries cannot afford that. Banks whose workers want to don masks but not allowed by the management because it is seen to drive the customers away. I supposed they think their staff should gadai kesihatan (nyawa) for them.

Oh ya! Sick secondary kids skip school but then go for tuition. Why? Cos school can afford to miss but tuition cannot. So, in the end, H1N1 becomes an excuse not to go to school, just a mere excuse cos they still go around not giving two hoots whether they infect others. It gets a little depressing seeing all these from us, the so-called civil society!

A little social responsibility from everyone... that would probably work well... think a little more for those around you; that also would probably work.

Update 14/08... this is from The Star. The mortality rate stands at 0.1%, says the Minister of Health. How did the people at the Ministry come up with that? Isn't 0.1% the mortality rate of normal flu? Did the statistics improve so much in the last two days? Did we have a huge spike in the number of infected in the past 2 days? Or this is just.... Malaysia Boleh at work? Anyway, check out the comparison of mortality rates in our neighbouring countries.