The district health department has swung into action after a baby boy tested positive for swine flu here. The seven-month-old infant from Mango is admitted at Tata Main Hospital.
East Singhbhum’s viral disease surveillance officer Sabir Pal said the baby’s test report had arrived and was positive. He said that there is no need to worry and people should not panic. The administration was alert and if any more cases are reported it would be properly checked.
Sources at the district civil surgeon’s office revealed that Railway Hospital in Khasmahal, Tata Main Hospital, Mercy Hospital and MGM Medical College and Hospital have been asked to keep isolation wards ready as a precautionary step.
“We are taking every step to ensure that the proper surveillance is maintained in the district. We have written letters to all the major health centres to keep ready isolation wards. We have decided to increase vigil across the district,” said the officer.
The health department has also provided the workers of MGM Medical College and Hospital and other health centres with other necessary instructions. The officer for swine flu said that steps for prevention remain the same as always. People should wash their hands, cough into their sleeves and stay home if they get sick.
When contacted, city-based doctor, U K Srivastava said, "Situation is slowly becoming tough as even patients with mild flu attack are feared about swine flu. We have to work according to the guidelines of the government. Due to panic, even those suffering from ordinary flu are coming to us and we cannot advise them for swine flu test.''
Meanwhile, doctors, nurses and para-medical staff at the government-run MGM Medical College and Hospital have started taking precautionary measure against the spread of this viral flu.
The doctors and medical staff, including the nurses in the hospitals and nursing-homes have started using mask so as to save themselves from falling victim to the killer flu. The fear of swine flu has gripped the supportive staff of the medical college hospital has gripped them so much so that some of them are even using `gamchha' in place of nose-mask as there was no stock of mask as such at the hospital.
At the medicine department, all the staff, including doctors, nurses, para-medical staff even the home-guard jawans posted there have put up mask.