Isolation wards set up in hospitals

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 17

The UT Health Department today readied isolation wards in all the three government hospitals of the city in the wake of a bird flu alert—as a precautionary measure to incubate patients in case of infection.

While no confirmed case of infection in human beings from the H5N1 virus causing avian flu (commonly called bird flu) has been received yet, there are apprehensions that the staff involved in the sampling and examination of the infected or suspected birds may be sent there for incubation.

The isolation wards at the GMSH-16, GMCH-32 and the PGI will have specially trained staff from the respective hospitals that will wear protective suits while administering vaccines to infected persons.

“Our teams are being trained for handling epidemics. We have already been training the teams to handle Ibola cases in the government and private setting and the isolation wards are readied for all kinds of deadly diseases,” said a senior official from UT Health Department.