Eight cases of swine flu have been detected in Haryana, state’s additional chief secretary for health Ram Niwas has said here on Sunday.
The situation, however, said Niwas, was under control and the health department was geared up for surveillance, prevention, identification, testing, isolation and treatment of cases of influenza A H1N1. He appealed to the people not to panic, as the swine flu virus was weaker this time and would end on its own by the end of the winter.
Faridabad civil surgeon has said that of the two swine flu cases in the district, patient Neelam Pathak has been discharged and the other found positive was being treated at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi. The additional chief secretary, who was presiding over a meeting of the civil surgeons through videoconferencing, issued them directions about the management of the disease.
They have orders for quick response, identification, testing, isolation, treatment of swine flu cases and required to have one public helpline number in their district for people who want to know more about the symptoms and preventive measures.
“The civil surgeons will make an isolation ward each in their district hospitals and make ventilator facility
available there, since swine-flu patients complain of breathing problem,” said additional chief secretary Niwas.Besides keeping an adequate stock of Tamiflu medicine, they will keep a vigil on the patients who have symptoms of swine flu and advise clinicians to consider the possibility of H1N1 infection in people complaining of respiratory illness that requires hospitalisation.
As a precautionary measure, he said people should cover the mouth and the nose with a handkerchief or tissue paper when coughing or sneezing; wash hands often with soap and water or alcohol-based hand gel; avoid touching the eyes, nose or mouth; stay away from crowded places; get a plenty of sleep; drink a lot of water; and eat nutritious food.
{{/usCountry}}As a precautionary measure, he said people should cover the mouth and the nose with a handkerchief or tissue paper when coughing or sneezing; wash hands often with soap and water or alcohol-based hand gel; avoid touching the eyes, nose or mouth; stay away from crowded places; get a plenty of sleep; drink a lot of water; and eat nutritious food.
{{/usCountry}}Director of general health Dr Narender Arora also issued detailed guidelines to all district civil surgeons about tackling swine flu and told them the disease had been divided into categories A, B and C and for each there was a different treatment.
What is swine flu?
The human respiratory infection caused by an influenza virus H1N1 strain — popularly known as swine flu — was first recognised in 2009.
The H1N1 virus is contagious and can spread from human to human. Symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.
Technically, the term “swine flu” refers to influenza in pigs. Occasionally, pigs transmit the influenza viruse to people.