Swine flu count reaches 49 in GB Nagar and 33 in Ghaziabad

Of these 49 cases, at least six are from Ghaziabad and Delhi and the rest of the patients are from Noida and Greater Noida.

At least 11 more cases of swine flu have been confirmed by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) till Monday evening, thereby taking the total count of H1N1 patients in Gautam Budh Nagar to 49.

The number of Swine Flu cases have risen in Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad. (HT File)

On Tuesday, the district health department dispatched fresh samples of suspected swine flu patients to a Delhi laboratory for tests.

“After 11 more patients tested positive for swine flu, we dispatched 39 more samples for tests. Till now, we have sent 107 samples from the district for tests,”Dr Anurag Bhargav, chief medical officer, health department, Gautam Budh Nagar, said.

Of these 49 cases, at least six are from Ghaziabad and Delhi and the rest of the patients are from Noida and Greater Noida.

At Ghaziabad, the total swine flu count stands at 33 after seven more cases were confirmed late Saturday night. The health department of Ghaziabad has dispatched fresh samples of suspected H1N1 samples to the Delhi lab for tests .

“We don’t have any report of a fresh swine flu case. Today, we dispatched 27 more samples to the Delhi lab for tests. These samples were collected on Saturday, Sunday and Monday,” NK Gupta, chief medical officer, health department, Ghaziabad, said.

Swine flu is an infection caused by swine influenza viruses that is endemic in pigs. It is a highly contagious disease and can easily spread from a patient through saliva and mucus.

The health departments of Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad have asked all government and private hospitals, community health centres and primary health centres to arrange for isolated wards for swine flu patients.

Issuing an advisory, Dr Bhargav said ,”Swine flu in otherwise healthy children is like another viral illness, with the symptoms being high fever, vomiting, headache and bodyache. In some cases, the patients might also contract pneumonia.”

GB Nagar health department has also started focusing on areas from where positive swine flu cases have been reported.

“We are in the process of tracking the areas from where the positive cases have been reported. But there is no particular area that has reported bulk swine flu cases. Soon, we will be able to come up with a detailed report,” Bhargav said.

Apart from isolated wards in hospitals, the health department has also opened a collection centre at the district hospital for suspected swine flu patients.

“I would like to appeal to residents to deposit their blood samples to the district hospital if they suspect to have swine flu. We will get it tested for free from the Delhi laboratory. They don’t have to spend money in private hospitals for tests,” Bhargav said.