Jammu & Kashmir Influenza 2015, 26 fatalities

[Ronan Kelly]

Doctors call for mandatory H1N1 vaccination of healthcare workers

Tribune News Service
Srinagar, September 22
The Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) has called for mandatory H1N1 vaccination of healthcare workers and schoolchildren, saying it would significantly diminish the chance of flu outbreak in the region.
?Mandatory flu vaccination will boost vaccination rates in these groups which will not only protect them but others in the community as well,? the DAK said in a statement while urging the authorities concerned to start vaccination drive in the regions.
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http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/jammu-kashmir/community/doctors-call-for-mandatory-h1n1-vaccination-of-healthcare-workers/136523.html

[Ronan Kelly]

H1N1 situation tricky in JK as no tests being conducted
SKIMS interim set-up bound to miss 75% cases
ZEHRU NISSA
Srinagar | Posted : Oct 2 2015 1:33AM | Updated: Oct 1 2015 11:43PM

The delay in setting up of testing facilities for H1N1 influenza (swine flu) has resulted in ambiguity regarding the current activity of the virus that killed more than 24 people in Kashmir last year and caused widespread panic. The government and the health authorities have resorted to patch work as no facilities are available for the masses who had to take the brunt of delayed government response when flu caught Kashmir napping.Cases of H1N1 influenza have been on the rise in many states India but no reports of positives from Kashmir have surfaced due to non-availability of testing facilities. The two premier health institutions, SKIMS and GMC, which had been entrusted the mandate of setting up laboratories to make testing facility available and also to take measures to safeguard populations against the virus, have no visible facilities in place.In a step that seems a desperate measure, SKIMS has reportedly resorted to the support of Rapid Influenza Diagnostic Tests (RIDT) in absence of the gold standard Rapid Time PCR testing facility. Medical Superintendent SKIMS, Dr. Farooq Jan said, ?We have 150 Rapid Test Kits available with us. We can do testing right away if there is a need.? He added that the Virology lab that will house the equipment for reliable testing of flu including H1N1 influenza will ?take a few weeks?.
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- See more at: http://www.greaterkashmir.com/mobi/n....vpZ90MZC.dpuf

Comment: No H1N1 deaths were reported in 2014 from Jammu & Kashmir. The deaths referred to in this article occurred from Jan-March 2015. I believe that the final count was 26. - Ro

[Ronan Kelly]

Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 20: Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) today alleged that swine flu cases are on the rise in many parts of the country but Kashmir is clueless due to lack of H1N1 testing facilities.
The DAK president, Dr Nisar-ul-Hassan said the patients in hospitals are ?dying undiagnosed due to non availability of diagnostic facilities for H1N1 and other influenza viruses?. ?Many infectious diseases have similar presentations and influenza testing would solve the diagnostic dilemma for doctors. It is unethical to empirically treat a patient who is hospitalized to receive correct diagnosis based on laboratory confirmation,? he said.
He said the critically ill patients admitted in intensive care units of tertiary care hospitals ?die without diagnosis due to lack of influenza testing?. ?In a study conducted at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), thirty percent of patients hospitalized for pneumonias had unknown etiology that could have been influenza related in case the tests had been done,? he said.
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http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/patients-dying-undiagnosed-due-to-lack-of-h1n1-testing-facility-dak/