Swine flu claims 9 lives in state

The health department has asked its officers to pull up their socks to prevent spread of swine flu in the state. HT reports.

The health department has asked its officers to pull up their socks to prevent spread of swine flu in the state. According to the department, 31 cases have been tested positive and nine people died of swine flu this year.

HT Image

The department has issued fresh guidelines to health officials to prevent spread of the disease. No swine flu positive cases have so far been reported from Gurgaon.

The officials said maximum number of cases was reported from Karnal followed by four each from Kurukshetra and Fatehabad. Nine deaths were reported from five districts —three in Kurukshetra, two each in Karnal and Sirsa and one each in Hisar and Bhiwani.

In 2012, Gurgaon reported six cases, with the last registered in December at Medanta-The Medicity.

The department has asked civil surgeons to provide isolation wards or rooms in hospitals and to ensure that linen, blood pressure apparatus and thermometer are separately available those rooms. Also, dedicated physicians, nurses and paramedical staff have to be made available. Large oxygen cylinders, pulse oxymeters and portable X-ray machine too should be installed in the isolation ward.

The civil surgeons have been directed to tie up with private hospitals which can provide ventilator facilities for the patients, if referred from government institutions.

A health department spokesperson also said that instructions have been issued to the Rapid Response Team for investigation of H1N1 positive cases. They have been directed if there is any suspected or positive case, the information should be conveyed to State Surveillance Unit.