Gurgaon: Hospitals on alert after suspected swine flu cases reported

Gurgaon residents have been advised to cover their mouths while sneezing or coughing

Hospitals in the city have geared up to prevent a swine flu outbreak after the city recorded a sharp spike in suspected cases of the highly contagious disease in a week.

All private hospitals in the city have been asked by the health department to report all confirmed cases of H1N1 flu to the district civil surgeon. (Parveen Kumar/HT PHOTO)

All private hospitals in the city have been asked by the health department to report all confirmed cases of H1N1 flu to the district civil surgeon.

Though the virus was dormant for the past two years, it has suddenly become active this month. During 2014, 37 cases of H1N1 were reported in Gurgaon. However, there were no casualties.

“The numbers of patients with symptoms of swine flu have increased over the last week. We have an isolation ward at the hospital and the drug, Tamiflu, is also in stock. We are geared up to deal with any kind of emergencies,” said Kanta Goyal, chief medical officer, civil hospital, Gurgaon.

All private hospitals have also made required arrangements to deal with swine flu cases.

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Doctors have advised residents to take precautions and cover their mouth and nose while sneezing. The symptoms of the disease include high temperature, tiredness, headache, sore throat, loss of appetite, diarrhoea and vomiting.

At present, the city has patients down with suspected category A and B swine flu.

The H1N1 virus is categorized under three categories. Patients diagosed with ‘Category A’ do not require testing for H1N1. The symptoms are mild fever, sore throat, cough, body ache, headache, nausea and diarrhoea. They are generally not advised to stay at home in isolation or are prescribed Tamiflu.

While, in ‘Category B’, the patients have high fever along with other symptoms of category A.

In Category C, the patients report symptoms of both Category A and B and are most below 5 or more than 60 years of age. They also run the risk of breathlessness and chest pain. They are mostly kept in isolation wards at hospitals.

Swine flu: Dos and Dont’s

Wash your hands properly and regularly

Use sanitisers, especially those that are alcohol based, for washing hands

Avoid crowded places in case the disease breaks out

If you feel any symptoms, stay at home and consult a doctor

Common symptoms

High fever

Sore throat, cough and cold

Breathlessness and tiredness

Headache

Loss of appetite, diarrhea or vomiting

When to go for the test?

If cough, cold and fever persist for more than three days along with breathlessness, visit a doctor. Also, stay away from people to avoid spread of infection.

How much time does it take to obtain reports?

The report is normally given in 24 hours.

In case of emergency cases, the report can be prepared in 5-6 hours.

What is the treatment available?

Doctors usually prescribe the antiviral drug, Tamiflu, to reduce the severity of symptoms.