New Delhi, August 8
A day after Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad told the Rajya Sabha that he would see if Tamiflu had to be made available in the open market, the Health Ministry today ruled against the decision, saying it could not trust “pop-a-pill” Indians with the only treatment available for influenza A H1N1 virus.
For the moment, Tamiflu, the sole anti-viral drug available against swine flu, will be available only through the government system. The national stockpile of 10 million capsules is constantly being replenished for decentralised distribution and there is no shortage, whatsoever.
Justifying the decision of keeping Tamiflu under government control, Health Secretary Naresh Dayal said Indians were in the habit of popping pills at the slightest provocation. “In many other countries of the world, Tamiflu is a prescription drug made available in retail. But in India, it would be hazardous to take that risk because people are accustomed to self-medication and we can’t afford to let the virus get resistant. We advise people to see doctors,” he said.
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Symptoms & Precautions l
Initial symptoms are fever (over 37.8°C), sore throat, body ache and fatigue. Some patients also have running nose, diarrhoea and vomitingl
Virus spreads by coming in contact with infected persons, so avoid crowded places; wear masks, if necessary l
Maintain hygiene; wash hands regularly l
Use alcohol or bleach to sanitise contaminated surfaces l
Preventive medication is strictly prohibited. It could give the virus a free play
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Good news, meanwhile, is that imported swine flu infections reported the first three-month (since the virus entered India) decline this August. Whereas these infections had peaked around the week ending July 13, with 68 cases coming to light, the week ending August 6 has reported only 47 infections. “This is a very good sign. Even indigenous infections might stabilise,” Dayal said, admitting that Pune needed to contain the virus better. Experts have been complaining of lack of support from Pune residents, who reported infections very late in the day.
Meanwhile, government today lauded Punjab (especially Jalandhar) and Hyderabad for superb containment strategy. These cities had begun with the highest initial caseload and have now almost stabilised. To monitor containment in other states, the Centre is planning to send expert groups.
Of particular concern, however, is the fact that H1N1 is targeting the young the most. So far, of total cases, 129 have been reported among schoolchildren aged 10 to 14 years, followed by 100 cases in 15 to 19 year category and 179 in 20 to 29 years category. “Schoolchildren are very vulnerable and schools would have to be extra cautious,” Dayal said, adding blanket closures were not required so far.
Health research, meanwhile, ruled out alarm, with ICMR chief VM Katoch saying that only 10 per cent of those exposed to H1N1 infected persons in Maharashtra developed flu symptoms. Of these, only 0.5 per cent needed treatment or hospitalisation.
That explains the mild nature of H1N1 infection in India. But for future, government is trying to bring down testing costs by exploring other supply sources for testing reagents. So far, the US is supplying material to India, which is now about to procure reagents from Germany as well. This will bring down swine flu testing costs.
