84 swine flu patients in Kashmir valley

Bismah Malik

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, February 19

Thirteen more people tested positive for swine flu at the screening centre of the Sher-e- Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, today taking the cases of H1N1 positive patients in Kashmir to 84.

Dr Pervez Koul, Head, Department of Medicines, SKIMS, confirmed that 13 new patients who tested positive for H1N1 influenza had been admitted to the hospital.

Dr Farooq Jan, Medical Superintendent, SKIMS, said four H1N1 positive patients had been kept in the isolation ward of SKIMS.

The SKIMS management said on Wednesday that two H1N1 positive patients had already died in the hospital. Amid rising cases of swine flu patients, major lapses have been found in screening facilities for H1N1 influenza in Kashmir. The Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital, which has four H1N1 positive patients, does not have a testing laboratory and an isolation ward.

Deputy Medical Superintendent, SMHS Hospital, Dr Kamal Jeet told The Tribune that due to delay in confirmation of H1N1 reports from SKISM Hospital, where the only testing laboratory has been set up, the treatment of patients at SMHS Hospital was getting affected.

The authorities said H1N1 reports were not being handed over to doctors at the SMHS and that such cases were being confirmed over phone.

Dr Kamal Jeet said the higher authorities had now directed them to refer all H1N1 positive patients to the Chest Diseases Hospital, Dalgate, where an isolation ward had been set up and another testing laboratory would soon be set up.

He said doctors and H1N1 positive patients had been administered Tamiflu tablets. Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Rohit Kansal also chaired a review meeting today in Srinagar taking stock of the availability of Tamiflu drugs in the state.

The health officials have ruled out that mass vaccination would be of any help at this point of time.