Govt hospitals equipped to deal with swine flu, says Nadda

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 27

Union Health Minister JP Nadda today said the government hospitals were fully geared to deal with swine flu following the death of a 51-year-old woman who reportedly died due of swine flu in Ghaziabad.

“She went from one private hospital to another. I would like to say that our health department and our government hospitals are capable of treating this influenza. There is no need to panic. They should go to the nearest hospital,” said Nadda.

Maintaining that there was no “outbreak”, he said Delhi administration had put all its designated hospitals on alert and had asked them to take appropriate measures and follow the standard protocol for treating swine flu.

Nadda has provided guidelines on screening and categorisation of patients, laboratory diagnosis, infection control, home care and clinical management of swine flu patients.

Delhi reported 32 confirmed cases of H1N1 in 2014. According to the Directorate of Health 

Services, six cases of swine flu have been reported in the national capital and its neighbouring region this month. In 2013, there were 1,511 H1N1 cases and 16 deaths.

“Delhi has recorded 32 H1N1 patients from January 1 till date,” Health Secretary SCL Das said. The 51-year-old succumbed to the flu at a private hospital in Delhi, becoming the first casualty of the H1N1 virus in NCR this year.

“This year, the incidence is mild and the form is non-virulent,” he said.

All 22 hospitals designated to treat swine flu patients are fully prepared and the Directorate of Health Services has reviewed the stock of Tamiflu capsules (for adults) and syrups (for children) and found these to be enough, he said.

Technical support for early case detection is provided by Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP). As per Centre for Disease Control guidelines, patients who develop flu like illness (that is, fever with either cough or sore throat) are encouraged to undergo self-isolation in their home for seven days after the onset of the illness or at least 24 hours after the symptoms have resolved, whichever is longer.

As per the new WHO guidelines, the H1N1 strain in 2014 is manageable. So far, no guidelines or notifications for H1N1 treatment have been issued.