“We would like to emphasize that globally and locally, the overwhelming majority of cases only experience mild symptoms and eventually make a rapid and full recovery, often even without any form of medical intervention,” Duque said. Based on the report, the woman came home from work on June 17, complaining of weakness, according to a DOH investigation. She did not report for work the next day and went into self-medication (taking paracetamol) as she experienced dry cough, fever and chills.
On the morning of June 19, she skipped breakfast. She was restless and complained of difficulty in breathing. She died shortly before a doctor arrived. The woman’s death and the rise in the number of swine flu cases in the country prompted the Department of Health (DOH) to gear up for a possible virulent strain of the virus. Dr. Yolanda Oliveros, director of the Center for Disease Prevention and Control, said a second wave of the virus would take place if the virus mutated into a “more virulent and more fatal” strain.
As of press time, the number of A(H1N1) cases stood at 445 after 17 more people, including two foreigners, were confirmed to have the virus. The World Health Organization has declared a flu pandemic. As of June 19, it said more than 44,200 cases had been reported worldwide with 180 deaths, mostly in Mexico and the United States.
.Of the 445 confirmed cases, 84 percent or 374 have already fully recovered, the DOH said. Duque said the postmortem findings showed that the death was caused by “congestive heart failure secondary to acute myocardial infarction aggravated by severe pneumonia either bacterial, viral or both.” The woman was also found to have an enlarged liver, spleen and kidney, tumor in the uterus and mild goiter.
“Given the available situation, we cannot conclude that the death is due to A(H1N1). But in other countries which have reported deaths, majority have preexisting medical conditions,” he said
