Madhya Pradesh has the highest death rate due to swine flu in the country, according to the disclosures of a Union Government report. More than 24 per cent swine flu patients succumbed in the State it means that one of every four swine flu patients have succumbed to the disease in last few months.
The report is a shocking blow to the state health department's assurance of having control over the situation.
This is more shocking as Madhya Pradesh along with Punjab have recorded least number of swine flu positive cases. MP recorded 69 swine flu positive cases till March 26 while 16 among them succumbed to the disease still the authorities have failed to prevent deaths.
It is worth mentioning that 16 deaths due to swine flu have occurred in New Delhi also but the number of swine flu positive cases there were over 1,450 which means the death rate was just above 1 per cent of the total cases.
The State Government had sounded alert following death of two swine flu patients in February this year. The health department had issued guidelines to all districts regarding screening and treatment of swine flu. A control room was also established in all the districts to provide help and information to people and hospitals regarding swine flu.
Health department Principal Secretary Praveer Krishan said that statistics can be misleading sometimes. It should be considered that health department has succeeded in controlling the swine flu positive cases below hundred.
Krishan blamed delay in swine flu treatment the reason behind higher death rate because tamiflu, the medicine for swine flu, controls the disease rapidly but treatment cannot be initiated without test reports and H1N1 influenza affected people reach late for testing.
A major negligence on the part of health department is establishment of more swine flu testing centers in the State.
Presently swine flu is being tested at RMRCT Jabalpur and Gwalior only that is why samples from Bhopal, Indore and other districts are sent to Jabalpur which takes at least 48 for the report. On several occasions, reports of patients have received after the patient has succumbed to swine flu.