Eight confirmed cases of patients infected with H1N1 virus have been reported from the Bibila Hospital, which has quarantined and another 22 or so patients suspected to have been infected by the virus.
Director of the hospital Dr. Y.M. Sunil Senarath said that the first case with regard to this was reported on February 01 and that a sample was sent to the Medical Research Institute (MRI) in Colombo.
He said that it was confirmed by the institute that it is in fact the H1N1 influenza virus. Dr. Senarath explained that the symptoms of this virus include fever, headache, body pains, throat pain, coughing, runny noses and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea.
He said that pregnant mothers, children below the age of 2, adults above the age of 65, people suffering from diabetes and asthma, people who continuously take treatment such as steroids and especially HIV/Aids patients are most susceptible to being infected by the tvirus.
