This is not fear mongering! I am just disappointed, with the way the media is reporting this story. The media, as always acts as a mouth piece which simply relays the information dished out by the authorities. There is hardly any analysis. I just hope it changes, as soon.

The story so far has me wondering about many things:

I believe we have had Influenza spreading among Maldivians for quite sometime now. I do not mean Swine Flu, please don't confuse all Flu to be Swine Flu. I suspect the reason why we have not previously detected Influenza A in Maldives is because we have only been screening a minority; only those with symptoms who had recently traveled. Patients who are diagnosed as Flu Like Illness who have not traveled (or have had direct contact with travelers) have not been screened. The screening kits have, I have been explicitly told, reserved for cases identified for screening by Port Health, not by Clinicians in the Hospitals. Had the screening net been wider, we could have found Influenza A much earlier; but perhaps used up all our screening test kids in the process.

We do have a National Pandemic Preparedness Plan that is to be used in handling this very kind of situation. If a case is suspected, then the case and its close contacts must be segregated to prevent further spread of infection. This is important because, should the suspected case become confirmed, both the case and contacts could be responsible for further dissemination of the infection if left in the community.

For lack of information, I wonder if this was the way we acted. It sure would be very satisfying to know that it indeed was.

I wonder how the case was indeed transfered! Was it by flight? If it was by flight; were there other common passengers on the same flight? If there were; were they informed that their fellow passenger was a suspected Influenza A case? And, if there were other passengers; how are they being managed after sharing the same atmosphere for the duration of the flight?

They are contacts, aren't they?

If indeed the worst of our fears is true; about the contacts that is, the other fear is already realized, then does the handling raise legal issues about endangerment of lives?

There are so many unanswered question that without actually knowing about the way the case was actually handled we wouldn't be able to take the story in further. I just hope the media would play its role in making the information available and making the situation clear. The media could ensure that the authorities do their jobs effectively in protecting the health of the nation.

I wonder why clinicians in Maldives are still not adequately sensitized about the National Pandemic Preparedness Plan and their role in the entire process. I recall being called to just one meeting; I attended too. I quite clearly remember requesting the chair of the meeting to educate the clinicians as to what the plan was all about and to identify what the role of each of us was. That, to my knowledge, has not happened so far. And here we are talking about the arrival of Swine Flu to our shores.

Having a plan is of no use if the people who are to execute it are not made aware of the plan itself and the role each has to play! 

I just hope this post creates some awareness among journalists in Maldives to ask the necessary questions.