H1N1 spreads; govt to get 60,000 capsules

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 2

With swine flu spreading and claiming 191 lives already this year, the government today said it was in the process of procuring additional stock of Oseltamivir, the anti-swine flu drug.

The government is in talks with Hetero Drugs, Stride Arco and Natco for additional procurement of 60,000 capsules of Oseltamivir (also called Tamiflu) which is a Scheduled X drug currently being prescribed only through notified health facilities after due testing of blood samples for swine flu. 

The government has identified 12 laboratories across the country for testing H1N1 and asked “at risk people” today to contact a general physician at the slightest attack of flu.

“Swine flu is curable and manageable, but time is of essence. At highest risk are people with co-morbid conditions such as a heart, lung or kidney disease, diabetes etc. People in this category must exercise special caution,” said Arun Panda, Additional Secretary, Health Ministry.

So far this year, there have been 2,038 cases of swine flu with 191 deaths, highest being in Rajasthan 49; Gujarat 38; Telangana 34; Maharashtra 22 and MP 17.

In 2012, there were 5,044 cases and 405 deaths; in 2013, there were 5,253 cases and 699 deaths; and in 2014, there were 937 cases and 238 deaths. This year, H1N1 is again peaking, with Delhi alone seeing five deaths.

Swine flu management is currently being done only in government set-ups and the anti-swine flu medicine is also available only in public health facilities and with chemists certified to sell Schedule X drugs. 

“The state governments, however, are free to rope in private facilities for the collection of blood samples and management of swine flu after testing by government identified labs. The Delhi Government, for example, has identified 22 hospitals for management including some private ones. But even in these private hospitals, the medicine is being sent by the state government directly. States are free to procure medicines from drug suppliers,” Panda said.

The government will soon put out through media campaigns a list of hospitals that can be reached for management of swine flu even though the first point of contact for anyone suffering from seasonal flu has to be a general physician at the nearest hospital.