As many as five more patients tested positive for swine flu on Monday taking the total swine flu patients in the State to 22. The State has already recorded one death while 119 samples have been sent to National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), New Delhi till Sunday. “Out of 14 reports received from NCDC on Monday, as many as five tested positive including three from Durg, and once each from Raipur and Korba,” said Director Health, R Prasanna.
Meanwhile, 42 samples of suspected swine flu patients were collected on Monday and will be sent to NCDC for testing. ‘As many as 21 samples of suspected swine flu patients were collected at Dr BR Ambedkar Memorial Hospital while 8 samples were collected from other parts of the State on Monday. Four suspected patients are under treatment in Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Hospital,” said Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Hospital Dr Shubhra Singh.
Meanwhile, the authorities claimed that necessary steps are being taken to keep check on the disease. The Health Department has screened the family members and neighbours of the swine flu patients and also provided medications to the suspected patients in a bid to control the spread of the disease. Apart from screening, the State Government has established isolation wards in Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Hospital, CIMS and arrangements for treatment at all district hospitals.
With the number of suspected patients reaching 161 and confirmed patients to 22, it is believed that the recent change in weather condition was responsible for it. However, the authorities expect that further rise in temperature will not allow the virus to sustain. Prasanna said that proper arrangement for treatment has been made and the department has about 5,800 tablets for swine flu in stock.
The Chattisgarh Government has already detailed out general precautions to be taken by the citizens to avoid contracting the deadly H1N1 (swine flu) virus. Influenza or swine flu is a contagious mutant virus. Generally, swines are the carriers of this virus, owing to which it has been termed as 'Swine Flu'. Earlier, this virus was not fatal for either animals or humans. But ever since virus mutation took place, this flu is spreading as an epidemic. It is a highly contagious virus.
People have been appealed to immediately report to the local Health Officer, in case any person in the family or any relative visitor from other district or State show any kind of the symptoms below. Such patients should be immediately take to nearby health centre for treatment, officials stated.
Symptoms of Swine Flu
Symptoms of swine flu are similar to that of general flu which include fever, cough, headache, weakness, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, running nose etc, but any negligence may lead to critical situation. Hence, one should be careful about such symptoms, as swine flu can be diagnosed in lab only.
Preventive measures for Swine Flu
Restrain from going near patients suffering from cough and cold, wear mask, cover your face with tissue paper while coughing or sneezing, dispose/destroy the used tissue paper properly, use hand sanitizer frequently, keep your surrounding clean and suspected patients should stay at home until they recover completely.
As soon as the symptoms of flu appear, one should immediately contact doctor and get the medical tests done. In case, the reports show Swine flu positive, there is nothing to be scared off because the disease is treatable with Antiviral Drug Tamiflu, officials stated.