Czech Republic confirms first swine flu case after young pilot becomes ill

The Czech Republic became the latest country to record a confirmed case of swine flu on Monday, with the chief hygiene official telling reporters that a 29-year-old man is infected with the virus. The man - believed to be a pilot – was diagnosed with the virus after returning from New York.

Photo: European Commission

Czech fears finally came true on Monday when the country’s chief hygiene officer Michael Vít confirmed that a 29-year-old Czech man has the A(H1N1) virus. Mr Vít said the man – who has not been named – is in quarantine at home along with nine other family members and colleagues. The news server Aktuálně.cz reported that the man is a pilot working for Czech Airlines. His condition is not serious, the chief hygiene officer said, adding that he went to the doctor after experiencing shortness of breath when climbing stairs.

Michael Vít, photo: CTK

Czech officials say until Monday a total of 107 people had sought medical attention after believing they were infected with the virus, but none of them tested positive, perhaps a reflection of the hysteria following the initial outbreak in Mexico. Swine flu symptoms include high fever, body aches, headaches, coughing, sore throat, diarrhoea, vomiting, fatigue and chills – all symptoms that can be associated with other illnesses.

As for the country’s readiness to cope with a possible pandemic, according to Health Minister Dana Jurásková, the Czech Republic has enough stocks of the anti-flu medicine Tamiflu to cover 20 percent of its 10 million people, which is rather less than the World Health Organisation’s recommendation of 30 percent.

The WHO says more than 12,000 people have been infected in 46 countries, with 91 deaths – although 80 of those deaths occurred in Mexico, where the virus started. Those are the known cases of course, the real figure could be much higher.