The swine flu scare receded markedly in the Capital on Friday with the number of people turning up to get tested for the disease dropping to less than half of what it was three days ago.
The union health ministry also released fresh guidelines saying those who suspect they are suffering from mild symptoms of swine flu need neither get themselves tested to confirm the disease, nor take its antidote Tamiflu.
Instead, they merely need to stay quarantined at home, and see a doctor once a day. The symptoms will disappear on their own.
Only 350 people got themselves tested at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Delhi, the busiest centre for treating H1N1 patients in the national capital region, against 854 on Tuesday.
“Some people may come at night but the numbers have reduced significantly,” said Dr NK Chaturvedi, medical superintendent at RML Hospital.
Other hospitals where H1N1 testing is on, like Safdarjung and Lok Nayak Hospitals, confirmed a similar trend.
The guidelines divide H1N1 patients into three categories. The first, showing mild symptoms, would need neither testing nor treatment; the second, showing moderate symptoms, would need treatment with Tamiflu but not hospitalisation. Only the third category of severely affected would need to get themselves admitted.
{{/usCountry}}The guidelines divide H1N1 patients into three categories. The first, showing mild symptoms, would need neither testing nor treatment; the second, showing moderate symptoms, would need treatment with Tamiflu but not hospitalisation. Only the third category of severely affected would need to get themselves admitted.
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