Swine flu cases in India
Swine flu cases in India
I haven't seen any swine flu info posted in the India section, so I thought I would update this area. I hope this isn't duplicate information posted elsewhere.
Grandmother Stonecoat
First confirmed case of swine flu in India
16 May 2009, 1329 hrs IST, Kounteya Sinha, TNN
NEW DELHI: The first case of swine flu in India was confirmed on Saturday. A man travelling from New York via Dubai and Delhi tested positive for
the H1N1 influenza virus in Hyderabad.
He has been administered tamiflu, the only anti-viral known to be effective against H1N1.
Union health ministry officials said they were treating it as a "national emergency.
"He was shifted to the identified isolation facility under strict infection control. His samples have tested positive for influenza A (H1N1)," a health ministry statement issued here said.
"The office of the concerned airlines has been contacted to provide the list of passengers who travelled with him in close proximity. Information of such passengers would be provided to the WHO (World Health Organisation) and respective countries through the external affairs ministry," it said.
All passengers who travelled with the man on the flight are being tracked down. The man had reached Hyderabad from Dubai via Delhi on an Emirates flight on May 13.
The passengers are being advised to remain under home quarantine for a period of seven days and monitor themselves for symptoms like fever, cough and difficulty in breathing.
They are also being asked to provide their contact details to Indian authorities.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Suspected swine flu case in city
Anuja Jaiswal
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 14
Overcautious doctors at the GMCH-32 have advised ?home quarantine? for a 30-year-old pregnant woman (identity withheld), a resident of Panchkula, who was examined in the OPD this morning with swine flu-like symptoms.
While doctors say that the measure was just ?precautionary? and the patient?s throat and nose swabs have been sent to the National Institute of Communicable Disease (NICD), Delhi, for tests, nevertheless it is the first recorded suspected swine flu case in the city.
According to hospital sources, the woman had approached the ENT department this morning with complaint of sore throat, cough, runny nose, abdominal pain and intermittent fever. Though the symptoms were like any other case of influenza, the patient?s disclosure that her husband had recently arrived from Kazakhstan and had also suffered from fever set the alarm bells ringing.
The doctors asked the woman to get herself admitted to the isolation ward immediately, but when she resisted and insisted on going home, they advised her ?home quarantine?. The doctors have alerted the integrated disease surveillance department, UT, and claimed that they would keep her under observation.
Confirming that her throat and nose swabs had been sent to the NICD, Dr Vineet, a member of the isolation ward team, said though there was nothing to be get alarmed about, they were not taking any chances. Dr Vipin Kaushal, Medical Superintendent of the hospital, said her husband?s foreign visit was the main reason for undertaking these tests.
According to doctors at the GMCH-32, reports from the NICD could take 48-72 hours.
Meanwhile, according to family member of the victim, the doctors seem to have gone ?overboard? as there is no recorded case of swine flu in Kazakhstan.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090515/cth1.htm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tackling Swine Flu
All airlines told to screen international passengers
Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 13
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has directed all airlines operating international air services to and from India to make available to international passengers copies of a proforma, designed for the purpose of declaration to the Airport Health Organisation at the time of embarkation, to ensure that passengers are informed about steps being taken by India for screening of those travelling to India from countries which have reported human cases of swine flu.
The proforma is to be distributed to all passengers and crew members of airlines before they disembark. All persons coming to India from countries which have reported human cases of swine flu like the US, Mexico, Canada, Austria, Germany, Israel, New Zealand, Spain and UK will have to fill up this proforma.
Passengers will have to give information whether they have visited or transited these countries in the past 10 days and if they have, whether they have experienced any symptoms related to the flu. Information regarding seat, flight and passport number, contact address, ports of embarkation and disembarkation will also be collected through the document.
The proforma also informs passengers regarding the steps to be taken in case they develop any flu like symptoms during the flight or within seven days of their arrival in India and will be retained by the immigration officer.
As of now, no case has been reported in India. So far samples of 46 persons have been tested and found negative for Influenza H1N1. Samples of three persons are under testing.
The World Health Organisation has reported 5,728 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza A/H1N1 infection from 33 countries (as on May 13 ). There have been 61 deaths. USA has reported 3,009 laboratory confirmed human cases including three deaths; Mexico 2059 cases with 56 deaths; Canada 358 cases, with one death; and Costa Rica eight cases with one death.
The other countries which have reported laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths are: Argentina (1), Australia (1), Austria (1), Brazil (8), China (3, comprising 1 in China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and 2 in mainland China), Colombia (6), Cuba (1), Denmark (1), El Salvador (4), Finland (2), France (13), Germany (12), Guatemala (3), Ireland (1), Israel (7), Italy (9), Japan (4), Netherlands (3), New Zealand (7), Norway (2), Panama (29), Poland (1), Portugal (1), Republic of Korea (3), Spain (98), Sweden (2), Switzerland (1), Thailand (2), and the United Kingdom (68).
In India, health screening of passengers coming from affected countries is continuing at 21 international airports. As many as 33,867 passengers were screened on May 12. Around 7,867 passengers were from affected countries. One passenger who disembarked at Hyderabad Airport has been referred to the identified health facility. 185 doctors and 102 paramedics have been deployed to man 73 counters at the above airports. Till date about 4.55 lakh passengers have been screened.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090514/nation.htm#5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Swine Flu
Eight of family kept in isolation
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 16
A 30-year-old city resident (identity withheld on request) has been quarantined at her home by the UT health authorities after an alert was sounded by the WHO about a few Indian passengers coming in contact with a confirmed H1N1 (swine flu) patient aboard a San Francisco-Hong Kong flight earlier this week.
While only one person reportedly hails from the city, two each from Haryana and Punjab were also on the same flight. Some other passengers were from Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
Health department?s Nodal Officer HC Gera said the entire family that includes four women and three children had been quarantined for a week in their Sector-30 house and their health profile was being constantly monitored. He said none of them had any symptoms of H1N1 (swine flu) infection.
"We have a team of doctors and paramedics who will examine these people daily and send the reports to the Health Ministry,? Gera said.
Meanwhile, sources in the health department reveal that the youth, who works as a project manager in a IT firm, had gone on an official trip to the USA in February and had returned on May 12 night.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090517/cth1.htm#19
