Swine flu affected persons not to attend mass functions
Representational image
Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday urged swine flu affected persons not to attend mass functions like marriages and to remain confined to their homes or hospitals till they were completely cured.
He said that swine flu had been brought under the ambit of Aarogyasri to enable people from poorer sections to seek treatment in corporate and private hospitals. He appealed to people to maintain community and personal hygiene, as it would help check 99 per cent of cases.
Terming H1N1 as a “third grade virus”, Mr Rao asked people not to panic over swine flu since the situation was very much under control and the entire official machinery was geared up to tackle it effectively.
Addressing a press conference in the Secretariat, Mr Rao admitted that 19 swine flu deaths (a woman died on Wednesday, taking the toll to 20) had been reported so far.
“The situation is not that alarming as is being made out by some quarters. It is very much under control. Sufficient stocks of tablets are available in all the hospitals,” the CM said.
He also took a dig at private hospitals for refusing to admit swine flu patients from poorer sections and asked them to be “socially responsible” in situations like these.
Washing hands best control:
Washing hands is the most important preventive measure to stop the spread of influenza viruses like the H1N1, say doctors.
The reason for stressing on washing hands is because the hand touches various surfaces where droplets and saliva can be present. And if the virus is present, it then spreads on contact. H1N1 cases have seen a spurt since New Year’s Eve and also the recent Sankranti festival when there were large gatherings of people at railway stations and bus stops.
Of the 213 cases of H1N1, 107 have been from Hyderabad. City surveillance officers are now in a fix, as they have not seen such huge numbers in the last three years. A senior officer said, “On January 20, there were 31 cases from Hyderabad which was the total number of cases for the city in 2010. We do not have staff to visit the patients’ families or the surrounding areas to counsel them.”
Maintaining personal hygiene and avoiding crowded places is important. Similarly, 100 cases have come from Ranga Reddy district.
One dies of swine flu, toll rises to 20 in Jan:
On Wednesday, a 55-year-old woman from Toli Chowki died of H1N1 at 10.30 am at Gandhi Hospital.
She was undergoing treatment in a private hospital for four days but her condition deteriorated on Tuesday evening and she was shifted to Gandhi Hospital at midnight. The patient succumbed early in the morning.
Meanwhile, a house surgeon in Osmania General Hospital tested positive for H1N1 on Wednesday. With Wednesday’s death, the number of deaths from swine flu has gone up to 20 in January.
( Source : dc correspondent )
Next Story
