Swine flu has claimed 407 lives this year till February 10, the worried Union Health Ministry has started preparing guidelines for vaccination of healthcare workers in the hospitals across the States as a precautionary measure. “All the health workers including nurses in the health institutions in the States will be vaccinated against the disease so that they are on the safer side while treating the patients suffering from swine flu. The guidelines to be launched soon will be about Dos and Don’ts for the health workers so that they are protected from the disease,” said a senior official from the Ministry.
He said that so far till Tuesday the total number of H1N1 cases is 5,157 and number of deaths is 407. largely the cases are from Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. Toll-wise Maharashtra tops the list followed by Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Telangana, as per review meeting chaired by the Health Secretary B P Sharma to review the status of H1N1 influenza being reported from different States.
“The current trends of morbidity and mortality, the diagnostic and test algorithms being followed, availability of diagnostic kits and drugs, and other preventive measures were discussed. “Based on the advice given by experts, it was decided that various health institutions treating H1N1 cases be advised for vaccination against H1N1 influenza for the concerned health workers in the hospitals in contact with H1N1 patients.
“This will be in addition to the proper personal protective measures being followed at the hospitals. Guidelines are being drafted for vaccination of healthcare workers and these will be shared with the States for dissemination to all health institutions,” the official said. To enhance the level of preparedness, additional 60,000 Oseltamivir medicines and 10,000 N-95 masks to tackle the disease are being procured. In addition, NCDC has floated a tender for additional 10,000 diagnostic kits. In case of need, labs under ICMR have been identified across the country to provide additional testing facilities, said the official.