Swine Flu Outbreak in India

 Swine flu or H1N1 is caused by the influenza A virus. High fever, persistent coughs, cold, sore throat, nausea, severe respiratory distress, breathlessness headache and vomiting are the most common symptoms of the flu. A throat swab and culture is the test done to determine whether someone is H1N1 positive. The country has registered 6,803 swine-flu cases so far this year as compared to 38,811 cases reported last year. Last year, 2,270 people had died due to the H1N1 infections. Nearly 542 people have died due to swine flu so far this year and almost 50 per cent of fatalities are reported from the state Maharashtra alone. The government official said, Maharashtra recorded 217 deaths out of 1,793 cases reported till 14th October. Followed by Rajasthan where 191 people succumbed to H1N1 complications out of 1,912 cases. In Gujarat, 45 persons died out of 1,478 reported cases. Delhi has recorded one death and 111 cases till October 12.

 Several people have died of swine flu in Andhra Pradesh and there has been a spike in the number of swine flu cases in Telangana as well. In the last seven weeks, 12 deaths were reported in Andhra Pradesh with Kurnool, Chittoor including the Tirupati being the worst-affected areas. Two cases of swine flu were reported in two private hospitals in Vijayawada on Tuesday. The swabs of the patients were tested at Vijayawada and were confirmed to be H1N1 positive. Telangana has reported three-fold spurt in swine flu cases over last month and Gandhi Hospital, the nodal centre to provide treatment for H1N1 patients, is running to its capacity. A new swine flu nodal centre has opened at Osmania hospital.

 Considering the seasonality of the seasonal influenza, Nadda has directed the officials to ensure continuous monitoring of cases. He specifically instructed that early detection, reporting and proper categorization of patients is critical for seasonal influenza management. The Minister has instructed the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to monitor the cases on a daily basis, the official said. He has also directed the states to ensure that there are sufficient supplies of drugs and testing kits and all cases which require hospitalization are monitored intensively both at district and state level so that fatalities can be avoided. The NCDC and Emergency Medical Relief (EMR) are coordinating with the states to provide training for ventilator management, if need be, the official added.

Source:

·      https://www.ndtv.com/andhra-pradesh-news/andhra-pradesh-telangana-see-spurt-in-swine-flu-cases-1936064

·    https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/542-deaths-due-to-swine-flu-and-6803-cases-so-far/articleshow/66319918.cms

·   https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vijayawada/two-swine-flu-cases-reported-in-vijayawada/articleshow/66343183.cms