Hyderabad, August 28: With 31 cases being reported in a single day, Andhra Pradesh leapfrogged into the top slot of swine flu cases chart on Thursday.
An official press release said that all the cases were indigenous which included patients already cured of the A H1N1 Influenza.
With Thursday’s addition, the total number of swine flu cases in the State has reached 154.
The Institute of Preventive Medicine tested 14 cases positive and the remaining cases were confirmed by the authorities of National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) at New Delhi. They said that the NICD cases were old samples and most of these patients had already undergone medication.
About 170 people with swine flu symptoms are visiting the Government Chest Hospital and other hospitals for the deadly flu. Of them, only about 70 to 80 are suspected to have contracted flu and are being advised home quarantine. Doctors are prescribing Oseltemivir tablets to these suspected patients while only people in serious condition are admitted to the hospital. Currently 12 patients are undergoing treatment at the Government Chest Hospital.
As a precautionary measure, the doctors are providing medication to many suspected swine flu patients without waiting for confirmation from the lab.
With the cold climatic conditions favouring it the flu is likely to spread wider and victimise more people.
But doctors say the flu can be avoided with simple precautions _ avoiding extreme weather conditions like sitting in AC rooms or drenching in rain. They are also urging people to avoid travelling to distant areas especially areas where the disease is prevailing.
–Agencies–