H1N1 swine flu: Second death in 8 days, state sounds alert

DEHRADUN: The state health department has sounded alert and issued advisory to all hospitals in Dehradun district to monitor the spread of H1N1 swine flu after a person died on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday. This is the second death reported in eight days.
A 41-year-old woman died in Indresh Hospital in Dehradun. The patient was a resident of Ambedkar Nagar, Haridwar.On Januar 3, a 61-year-old man of Premnagar area succumbed to the disease.
Meanwhile, director general of health, Dr TC Pant, issued a health advisory across all the 13 districts and asked them to ensure that the virus doesn’t spread further.
The DG health has also announced that antiviral medicines will be provided free of cost across all government and private hospitals in Uttarakhand.
“There is no need to panic as swine flu has been classified as general season influenza by the World Health Organisation. The flu is no more a life threatening disease due to the enhanced treatment process and an increased awareness to combat it,” Pant said.
Pant further said the chief medical officers of all the districts have been asked to report each case tested positive for H1N1 virus to the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme Unit, and identify the patient’s location to carry out sanitation work.
In Dehradun district, six patients are undergoing treatment, while two have died.
The neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, too, has sounded alter after 17 cases of H1N1 swine flu virus was reported in one week.
Swine flu is a respiratory disease which infects the wind pipe (respiratory tract) of pigs and gets transmitted to human beings. 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.