New Delhi, August 08: Even as the Union Health Ministry is asking the public not to panic over the spread of swine flu in India, especially after the death of a girl in Pune, the situation, it seems, suggests otherwise.
Several new cases of the H1N1 influenza A virus were reported from different parts of the country on Saturday, a day after hospitals across India received 96 cases – the maximum in a single day so far.
An NRI couple were admitted to the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad after they were found to be infected by the A(H1N1) virus. The condition of the two is said to be critical but stable. The couple had just returned from the United States.
With Saturday’s two new cases the total of those infected with swine flu in Gujarat has reached 10.
Meanwhile Pune, which has fast emerged as the epicentre of the spread of virus in the country, continued to be haunted by the pandemic. As many as five more patients, including a six-year-old minor girl, were admitted to the city’s Sassoon General Hospital today. All of them are said to be in critical condition.
Elsewhere, a 29-year-old engineer, admitted at a Chandigarh hospital, has tested positive for swine flu, officials said.
The infected patient had gone to Canada with one of his colleagues, who had tested positive for the disease in New Delhi after their return, and was admitted in a hospital there.
Three family members of the patient have been quarantined at their house in the city’s Sector 15, while health officials in Panipat have been informed and asked to quarantine the people who had come in contact with the patient.
So far, 44 suspected cases of swine flu have been reported in Chandigarh hospitals, out of which seven have been found positive for the disease.
In view of the virus spreading in Maharashtra, especially Pune, the Tamil Nadu government has sounded an alert and issued an advisory asking its people not to travel to Maharashtra.
The TN govt has also started screening all passengers reaching its capital, specially those from Maharashtra.
Even Rajasthan has decided to screen all passengers travelling in from Mumbai or Pune.
However, the Health Ministry seems to be unaware of any such advisory.
On Friday Health Secretary Naresh Dayal had said, “Spread of H1N1 is far less in India than in most countries like the UK, the US, Australia, Japan, Thailand and Singapore where the casualty figure is very high. A lot of panic has been created in the last two days, especially since the death of the girl in Pune. There is no cause for people to go into panic mode.”
He asked why there was so much concern and media coverage on just one death due to swine flu in Pune. “The virus is relatively a less virulent strain of the flu. In fact, it is less virulent than the seasonal flu, which causes more deaths than this (swine flu) causes,” Dayal said.
But this should not be seen as a lack of concern from the govt, he added. “Since school kids are more susceptible to the flu, we are very concerned,” he said.
Informing about the steps being taken by government on tackling swine flu, Dayal said even though there was enough Tamiflu stock in the country, it would be replenished to 10 million capsules.
Announcing that there would be decentralisation of distribution of the drug, he said every district will now store enough capsules to treat 1000 affected persons at any given time.
“Apart from that, metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai will keep stockpiles to treat upto 10,000 affected persons at any given time. This will begin from Delhi and Pune first and will use at least 72 lakh capsules,” Dayal said.
He asked the media to cooperate with the government in fighting the flu and not in spreading needless panic.
Reeda Shaikh, 14, died in Pune of swine flu, and health officials blamed the death to “delayed treatment”.
The number of Swine flu cases in India has crossed the 700-mark.
The government is also working to bring down the cost of testing for swine flu, which was Rs 5,000 for a negative test and Rs 10,000 for a positive test, by diversifying its sources of suppliers of equipment.
–Agencies