Two more die of swine flu, season count rises to 11
February 20, 2013 § Leave a comment
Two patients succumbed to H1N1 virus-related complications on Tuesday, taking the swine flu toll to 11 patients since January 1. Also, the tally of diagnosed patients crossed the 500 mark.
A 45-year-old woman at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and a 36-year-old patient at Apollo Hospital in Sarita Vihar succumbed to the illness, reportedly from respiratory complications. Both patients were admitted in the ICU and were on ventilator support. An official said the respiratory problems led to compromised lung function.
“The swine flu virus is known to cause respiratory distress if diagnosed late or in patients suffering from other problems like asthma, diabetes or cardiovascular problems. Once it affects the lungs, patients are unable to breathe on their own,” he said.
Another 53 patients tested positive for the H1N1 virus on Tuesday, after sporadic rainfall over the weekend. A total of 510 patients been diagnosed with the virus since January 1. Compared to this, in 2011 and 2012, 22 and 78 patients, respectively, had tested positive for the virus in the entire year.
Health department officials said the intermittent rainfall over the past two months had led to the rise in swine flu cases.
With more rainfall expected over the coming weekend, officials said the conditions are still conducive for the spread of the virus. “High humidity levels and low temperatures create an environment where the virus can grow and spread. People should wash their hands properly and frequently, and carry a handkerchief as a precautionary measure,” Health minister Dr A K Walia said.
The Health department said there is no need for vaccination against the virus, barring the high-risk people.
Source:http://www.indianexpress.com/news/two-more-die-of-swine-flu-season-count-rises-to-11/1076664/0
Fourth H1N1 victim in city: 15-yr-old dies at Ganga Ram
February 13, 2013 § Leave a comment
Another suspected swine flu-related death reported from RML, Walia calls meeting.
A 15-year-old girl who was diagnosed with swine flu died on Monday, taking the death toll due to the H1N1 virus to four in the national capital. This is the fourth confirmed death due to the virus since January 1. Another death, reported from Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital on Tuesday, is also suspected to be caused due to complications arising from H1N1.
The girl, who is the first minor to succumb to the illness this season, was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on February 3. Hospital authorities said the girl died of acute respiratory distress syndrome — a severe respiratory disorder commonly associated with the virus. The girl was on ventilator support and doctors said they had tried to contain her symptoms for over a week.
The Delhi government said the situation is being monitored closely and virologists had identified three strains of seasonal flu including H1N1, H3N2 and Influenza B. The Union Health ministry, meanwhile, said there is no pressing need for vaccinations. Delhi Health Minister Dr A K Walia said virologists had identified the specific strains of the disease in the capital and confirmed that H1N1 was the most prevalent.
“Laboratory analysis found three strains of the seasonal flu, of which H1N1 or swine flu was the most common, but two other strains of common virals were also present,” Walia said. To take stock of the situation, Walia chaired a high-level meeting of medical superintendents of all government and private hospitals. The meeting was also attended by officials from National Center for Disease Control and Dr P Ravindran, Director of Emergency Medical Relief (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare).
“The government is monitoring the situation closely, including preparedness, availability of beds and medicine in isolation wards, ICUs and diagnostic facilities. We have identified 17 government and five private hospitals for treatment and three government and five private diagnostic laboratories to manage cases,” Walia said.
Ravindran said there was no need for vaccinations against H1N1 at present. “No prophylactic treatment is required in most of the cases in the existing situation. Only high-risk cases, such as people above 65 years of age with multiple diseases, need prophylactic treatment,” he said.
He added that even hospitalisation was unnecessary for patients exhibiting symptoms of influenza, but that such patients need to be watched closely and require regular follow-ups. Meanwhile, Sanjeev Choubey (42), who was admitted at RML Hospital on February 9, died on Tuesday due to what officials suspect could be H1N1-related complications. Choubey, a resident of Khoda Colony, was referred to RML by a private hospital in Noida. He was kept in an isolation ward with eight other patients.
According to the Health department, 33 new cases of H1N1 were reported on Tuesday, taking the total to 154 since January 1 this year. Officials hope that with the rise in temperature and lowering of humidity, the number of cases in Delhi would decline.
Source:http://www.indianexpress.com/news/fourth-h1n1-victim-in-city-15yrold-dies-at-ganga-ram/1073293/0
Swine flu cases cross 100-mark, Health dept calls review meeting
February 12, 2013 § Leave a comment
The Health department has called a meeting to review the measures in place to counter the steadily increasing cases of swine flu. The meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday.
Health Minister Dr A K Walia said epidemiologists from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), representatives of laboratories authorised to conduct the tests and nodal officers designated for swine flu from hospitals will attend the meeting.
On Monday, number of H1N1 cases in city crossed the 100 mark.
Sources confirmed that the Health department was considering purchasing preventive vaccines for high-risk patients and starting prophylactic treatment for doctors and nurses managing swine flu patients. A final decision on this will be taken in the meeting.
“This year, so far, we have not purchased any new vaccines for H1N1 or authorised prophylactic treatment of our hospital staff. In 2009 and 2010, we had to take both of the preventive measures. Now that the cases are rising this year, we are considering repeating these efforts,” an official from the Health department said.
Pregnant women, children, the elderly and those diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes are considered to be in the high-risk category, doctors said. People with a history of respiratory diseases are also understood to be at risk of the viral disease.
Dr Walia said: “We have called scientists from NCDC to dwell on the epidemiological reasons for the continued presence of the virus and how long it is expected to last. We will take a final call on purchasing vaccines and review the treatment facilities.”
Last week, the government had issued an advisory to hospitals, instructing them to open their isolation wards and ensure availability of adequate ventilators. The dedicated isolation wards and special ICU facilities had been closed, considering the lull in cases over the past two years.
Twenty-seven new H1N1 cases were reported on Monday — nine from Safdarjung Hospital — taking the total tally of diagnosed cases to 121, since January 1. In 2011 and 2012, only four swine flu cases each had been confirmed over January and February.
The Delhi government has confirmed three deaths from the virus, though individual hospitals have reported more suspected deaths.
Seventeen government and five private hospitals have been designated to provide treatment for swine flu. Eight labs — five private and three government hospitals — have been authorised to perform the diagnostic tests for samples.
The government labs are at AIIMS, NCDC and Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute.
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