Three more cases of swine flu reported

Continuing spate in the number of swine flu cases is troubling the Health department officials. To make matters worse for the worried department, the weatherman has predicted return of rain and cold in the next couple of days as such weather is ideal for multiplication of swine flu virus. 

On Thursday, three more cases of swine flu were reported which took the number of affected people in the district to 35. However the reports which arrived from National Centre of Disease Control (NCDC) on Friday brought some succour to health officials as nine samples proved negative for the disease. 

The department collected samples of three more suspected patients on Friday. These patients are getting treatment at Himalayan Institute Hospial Trust (HIHT) and Mahant Indiresh hospital.

The in charge of Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) Dr SS Kandari told The Pioneer that results of 45 samples were awaited from NCDC and added that 121 samples had proved negative for the disease till date.  Dr Kandari accepted that continuing spell of cold and rains would increase the number of swine flu cases in the district. 

He further disclosed the chances of further infection of virus reduced drastically at a temperature of above 30 degrees Centigrade. Dehradun is the most swine flu affected district in the State with three patients succumbing to the disease till date. Chief Medical Officer of Dehradun Dr SP Agarwal said there was no need of panic on Swine flu.

The teams of health department were visiting the houses of the swine flu patients and monitoring the health of family members and neighbours. He said the people with symptoms like fever and acute cold were being specially monitored and their samples are being sent to NCDC for confirmation of the disease. The CMO recommended maintaining personal hygiene to evade infection from the disease.