I've been trying to ignore it for the past couple of months, but slowly it's beginning to affect people around me. My cousin is a doctor at the hospital. Three weeks ago (I think), someone died from H1N1 in Salalah. This morning, again, a young woman died. No previous illness. Just H1N1. So many people I know have had it and were tested positive. According to sources from the hospital, there are over 25 swine flu patients in intensive care on oxygen masks. Just an hour ago, it was announced unofficially (and I assume officially later on today) that the beginning of the school year has been postponed a month. It's too risky to send kids to school.
What totally baffles me is how some people totally recover and others die. No one understands it yet. I understand how young children and older people with weak immunity or with previous illnesses can catch it and die, but what about healthy people? What about the girl who died this morning? Doctors say she didn't have health problems.
What the hell is happening in Salalah anyway? EVERYONE is sick. It's either regular flu, colds, or swine flu, but half the people I know are sick. And numbers are increasing at a slightly alarming rate. Maybe the heavy monsoon weather is triggering it? Helping it spread? It is the tourists?
Could be vitamin D deficiencies. Vit D is very important to immune function, and people tend to have lower levels when there is less sunlight. Its probably worse during the end of the rainy season. As far as supplementation goes, it needs to be in the form of D3 for the body to absorb it well.
ReplyDeleteConsuming large amounts of processed sugar in tea and soft drinks is also known to weaken immune response.
Otherwise I don't see a reason why Omanis are suffering from worse cases than other places.
I think the climate has a lot to do with it.
ReplyDeleteStacy, coming to think of it, Omanis ARE addicted to soft drinks and red tea with lots of sugar! I'm not saying Omanis are suffering more than others; but because our town's population is 120,000 and everyone knows everyone (I'm serious), so news spreads quickly and because everyone is discussing it, it seems huge, when it's actually only a couple of deaths, or so I hope, Insha'Allah. But, there is definitely fear! I guess it suddenly hit them as 'serious' when the school year was postponed.
ReplyDeleteScarlet, yes I think the climate has to do with it, too. It's wet, muddy, and there are insects all over the place, and the heavy humidity could be helping. Furthermore, the climate brought us hundreds of thousands of tourists! They come into Oman without being tested, and heaven knows how many of them were sick.
The Ministry of Education has officially announced that the school year will start on the same date Aug. 29. The cause of death of the girl who passed away 2 days ago, may her soul rest in peace, is yet to be determined.
ReplyDeleteThanks بير عيريب
ReplyDeleteI heard this morning too about the Aug 29 thing. I guess that's good. Do you know if the rest of the GCC are doing the same?
When I went to Salalah, every wedding I attended had no wedding because someone had died from that family, every wedding was following by a death.
ReplyDeleteFuneral by morning, death by night.
Yeah, it kinda sucked!
Nadia, I heard the GCC are going back to school after the Eid ilFitir holidays. Lucky them I guess.
"What totally baffles me is how some people totally recover and others die. No one understands it yet."
ReplyDeleteDo a Google search on the following words:
Fat people 'more likely to die of swine flu'
Guys is it correct is Salalah has the highest H1N1 in Oman.
ReplyDelete