Alert in Fatehabad after patient’s death in Jind

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Fatehabad, January 11

An alert for swine flu has been issued in Fatehabad after the death of a person in Jind. Civil Surgeon Suraj Bhan Kamboj has constituted a team of three doctors comprising Amit Munjal, Rohit Batra and Lata Sangwan to meet the challenge arising out of the possible spread of the disease.

An isolation ward has been set up at the General Hospital, Fatehabad, to treat patients suffering from the disease. A team of laboratory staff has been attached with the doctors’ team so that the test of patients could begin immediately.

Kamboj said the Health Department was already aware of the threat due to winter conditions. An alert has been issued in view of the death of a patient at Jind.

Swine Flu is spread by a virus called H1N1 virus which is commonly found in pigs. The infection spread in India in 2009 and since then, it has been affecting people during the winters.

As per guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2009, the H1N1 influenza is categorised into A, B and C as per the symptoms.

“Patients with mild fever, cough, sore throat with or without body ache, headache, diarrhoea and vomiting are categorised in A type. Such patients need to be monitored for 24 to 48 hours,” the guidelines prescribe. These patients should be quarantined at home.

Patients with high-grade fever and severe sore throat have been categorised as B (i) type and these require isolation as well as medication.

Children with mild illness but with predisposing risk factors, pregnant women, persons aged 65 or older, patients with lungs, heart, liver, kidney or blood disorders and patients suffering from diabetes, neurological disorders, cancer and HIV/AIDS and patients with long cortisone therapy have been categorised as B (ii).

In addition to the signs and symptoms mentioned in categories A and B, if the patients have one or more of conditions like breathlessness, chest pain, drowsiness, fall in blood pressure, sputum mixed with blood, bluish discolouration of nails, children with influenza like symptoms, who had a severe disease as manifested by the red flag signs (somnolence, high and persistent fever, inability to feed well, convulsions, shortness of breath, difficulty in breathing etc) or worsening of underlying chronic conditions are categorised under C type of patients.