A member of Chinese medical personnel escorts the first confirmed A/H1N1 victim in mainland China, surnamed Bao, to an ambulance in Beijing on May 11.

BE PREPARED – the Boy Scouts’ motto holds plenty of weight in a lot of different situations, particularly so when lives are at risk.

And while some of the hysteria concerning a potential A/H1N1pandemic has died down, experts in Yangon warned last week that traders and medical bodies should stockpile sufficient supplies to combat any outbreak of the A/H1N1 virus.

Dr Maung Maung Lay, patron of the Myanmar Pharmaceuticals and Medical Equipments Entrepreneurs’ Association (MPMEEA), said that the importers are being encouraged to bring in sufficient rubber gloves, respiratory masks, hand cleaning materials and personal protective equipment, should they occur.

“We are making all-out efforts to import the medical supplies we might require in the case of emergency,” said Dr Maung Maung Lay, who is also a secretary general of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industries (UMFCCI).

The Ministry of Commerce has officially announced that the A/H1N1 virus has not yet spread to Myanmar, despite cropping up in many other nations around the world.

A senior MPMEEA said that protective equipment is a critical barrier to halt A/H1N1 from entering the country but stated that few people were aware of this.
One well-known professor said at a recent seminar on A/H1N1 held at the Myanmar Medical Association pointed out that the required materials simply are not as available in Yangon as they should be, nor are they cheap enough.
“These items are not cheaply available in the market,” she said.

Dr Maung Maung Lay said that even though the flu appears to be under control now, it may spread suddenly again in the future, meaning health officials should be vigilant.

“For this reason our association is working quickly to make sure sufficient supplies are available,” he said.

International outbreaks typically boost demand for face masks and sanitary hand gels by as much as five times.

Indeed, Reuters news agency reported on April 29 that global medical manufacturer Medtecs International is ramping up production of face masks and disposable gowns, and could boost output five-fold if demand spikes on A/H1N1 fears.

During the SARS outbreak, sales of those items went up by up to 500 percent.
An MPMEEA senior official said that similar demand has not yet been demonstrated in Myanmar, which buys most of its disposable medical materials from China via border trade.