Bandar Seri Begawan - A Majority of the Sultanate's population interviewed said that they were only slightly concerned over news reports of a possible second wave of Influenza A (H1N1) infections, stating that the relevant authorities have proven the effectiveness of their preparation efforts, as seen from the previous outbreak.

Jamie Chan, 42, said that she heard about the sudden rapid increase of cases of the flu in European countries from her son.

"I am a little worried, but I have to say that I am no longer fearful," said the IT technician.

Chan said that H1N1 is now old news and is no longer a hot topic among the community.

"When it first started spreading, it was all over the news but now there isn't any urgency left in local news reports. This is why we are now (complacent) in regards to the pandemic," she said.

She also expressed confidence in the relevant authorities' capabilities of keeping the outbreak in check.

9 think they handled it really well during the first outbreak and I think we are in good hands, especially now that they have additional experience in dealing with the flu," said Chan.

"Also, I feel a lot more comfortable as the vaccine is reportedly just around the corner," she added.

According to a Bernema news report, Malaysia is expected to receive a total of 40,000 doses of anti-H1N1 vaccine by the end of next month. It is, however, still uncertain when Brunei would receive its order for the vaccines.

A 32-year-old government worker who declined to be named said that he believes the relevant authorities are capable and prepared to deal with the situation.

"They have done really well in protecting us and I think (the public) have also responded well in following their directions," he said.

He explained that he personally does not feel that Brunei would be affected much by the second wave of the outbreak.

"I don't really know what this second wave is. I know it is the beginning of the flu season in the United Kingdom but I was informed that it was flu season in other parts of the world before this," he said, adding that there would be no flu season for Brunei due to the advances of modern transportation if this was the case.

"You can fly from anywhere to everywhere so we might have already been under the effects of the flu season already," he said.

This point was reinforced by an earlier interview with an international public health consultant.

The consultant speculated that H1N1 could mutate and spread more rapidly during the peak period for most Plus, which is during the winter months.

However, he said that this was now irrelevant as the accessibility of global travel has reduced the obstacles which block the spread of infection.

Reuters yesterday reported that there has been a rise of about 5,000 new cases of the pandemic in the United Kingdom, including two cases which have developed resistance to the antiviral drug Tamiflu. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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