'H1N1 scare much worse than disease'

Dubai: When six-year-old Bana Qubain ran a high temperature, her parents rushed her to the doctor because they were afraid that her throat infection might turn into an ear infection. By the end of the day, their concerns were totally different.

"Out of curiosity, my wife asked Bana's doctor about the symptoms of H1N1 virus infection, and how they differ from Bana's. The doctor said they [did not]," said Marwan Qubain, Bana's father.

The parents then asked the doctor to carry out the H1N1 test and he took a nose swab sample on September 12. It turned out positive.

"When we first heard the news, it was like a death sentence. We were very upset, especially her mother, who was so scared of the disease that she wouldn't let the children go anywhere," Qubain said.

The family is still clueless on how Bana was infected. Her school opens next week and the family's two children, Bana and her two-year-old brother, were not taken to malls or play areas as part of efforts to protect them.

"Perhaps someone sneezed in the elevator when my daughter was there, or she could have touched a contaminated shopping cart. I can't think of anything else," Qubain said.

The doctor prescribed Tamiflu for Bana and her family. She took it twice a day over a period of five days. The rest of the family took a single daily dose over a period of 10 days.

Adult doses

"The problem with Tamiflu is that it's only available in the adult dosage here in the UAE, which is 75 mg, and only in capsules, whereas it should be available in syrup for smaller children," Qubain explained.

"We had to open the capsules and dissolve the contents in one millilitre of water, and then divide them according to our children's ages and weights," he said.

Bana, whose temperature reached 40.5 degrees Celsius on the first day, started to improve immediately. Her temperature dropped to 38.5C the next day, and she stopped vomiting.

The child was informed of her disease. To put her at ease, the family used to make fun of her by imitating pig grunts and other noises in her presence.

Meanwhile, the rest of the family, who also include Qubain's elderly mother and the housemaid, took their prophylaxis doses of Tamiflu. They also decided to isolate themselves, in line with the doctor's advice, so they all stayed home for a week and entertained no visitors.

"Even when we ordered something from the grocery, we asked them to leave it outside our door, to avoid any contact with people," Qubain said.

"My main concern was my mother and our young son, who are among the high risk group, but everyone is fine now. Bana is also doing very well, and is getting ready to go to school next week," he said.

"The scare was much worse than the disease, which I believe was blown out of proportion by the media. We all just want to put it behind us now," he added.