Mumbai: Alarmed by the 261 deaths caused by swine flu in the state since January, a panel of experts from Delhi’s National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) arrived in the city on Friday and visited several state and civic-run hospitals to check if the guidelines on treating swine-flu patients are being followed correctly. The panel has submitted its findings to the health department on both H1N1 virus and Leptospirosis.
The NCDC experts have now asked municipal health representatives to inform private hospitals and general physicians to ensure that patients showing symptoms of swine flu are treated on priority basis so as to curb its spread. More than 7,581 cases of fever have been reported across the state, and of these, 1,520 have tested positive for swine flu.
Talking to The Asian Age, Dr A C Dhariwal, the director of NCDC said,” We have sent our panels and NCDC experts, to help state health officials to deal the menace of H1N1 virus. The early detection of disease is not happening. Hence, one of the main reasons for more swine flu deaths is the delay in starting the treatment,” he said.
According to BMC executive health officer Dr. Padmaja Keskar, “There are 313 cases of H1N1 virus in city in June. Till mid June, the number was 177 and has now doubled.” Of the deaths due to swine flu reported in the state, 10 were from Mumbai. Pune has recorded 62 deaths, which is the highest this year. More than 7,581 cases of fever have been reported across the state, and of these, 1520 have tested positive for H1N1 virus. The state’s vaccination programme has so far reached 30,462 people who are in the high-risk category — which include pregnant women, children and the elderly.
In the period between January to June last year, there were around 26 swine-flu deaths.
