The World Health Organisation has warned that doctors across the world are reporting a severe form of swine flu that goes straight to the lungs, causing respiratory failure in otherwise healthy young people and requiring expensive hospital treatment.

While it pointed out in its August 28 briefing note that no reports of change in virulence or mutation had been reported in the virus so far and a large majority of people still experienced a mild form of the disease, it stressed on the need to anticipate demand on the intensive care units, likely to be overwhelmed by the sudden surge in the number of severe cases. “Perhaps most significantly, clinicians from around the world are reporting a very severe form of disease, also in young and otherwise healthy people, which is rarely seen during seasonal influenza infections,” WHO said.

“In these patients, the virus directly infects the lung, causing severe respiratory failure. Saving these lives depends on highly specialised and demanding care in intensive care units, usually with long and costly stays.”

Some countries are reporting that as many as 15 percent of patients hospitalised with the new H1N1 pandemic virus need intensive care, further straining already overburdened healthcare systems. A larger number of these cases have reported from the southern hemisphere during the winter season and the WHO said it was advising countries in the Northern Hemisphere to prepare for a second wave of pandemic spread. Countries (like India) with tropical climates, where the pandemic virus arrived later than elsewhere, also need to prepare for an increasing number of cases.

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