Respiratory, lung diseases add to swine flu worries

[Ronan Kelly]

Ro's note:The cities below are all in the state of Gujarat. The sheer numbers here are staggering and give an idea why reported deaths will always be a tiny fraction of overall fatalities.


Respiratory, lung diseases add to swine flu worries
TNN 21 September 2009, 01:47am IST

SURAT/AHMEDABAD: After a spate of swine flu deaths in the state, the growing number of pneumonia and acute lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI)
cases in various cities has been worrying state health department as the diseases have swine flu-like symptoms. Moreover, Navratri and the approaching winters may accentuate the spread of the H1N1 virus.

What's worse, it is anybody's guess that of the 39,253 pneumonia and acute LRTI cases reported over the last one month, how many could turn into swine flu positive cases as the detection would require costly clinical kits to confirm each of these cases. But, the state government who knows the number of pneumonia and acute LRTI cases, will be answerable if swine flu deaths are reported in future.

The alarm bells are already ringing in districts like Surat, Ahmedabad and Vadodara where highest number of H1N1 positive cases have been reported from. Of the 39,253 pneumonia and acute LRTI cases, 41 per cent cases belong to these three districts, with Surat reporting 13,951 of cases alone. Surat leads with 42,436 fever cases in the last one month followed by Vadodara with 23,992 cases.

"There is a decreasing trend in fever and pneumonia cases over the weeks except for certain districts. As the season is conducive, cases do rise during this time of the year. People have to be vigilant during festivals and should consult their physicians or their doctors in case of fever," says a senior official of the health department.

"A helpline number can help us track such cases. Proper intervention at the right time can help us quell the increasing number of pneumonia cases. In some of the recent swine flu deaths in Surat and Ahmedabad, the patients were diagnosed at a very later stage where it was not possible for physicians to treat them," adds the official.

Another problem which is mounting is the number of fever cases that are being reported from various districts. Though these cases coincide with malaria, dengue, water borne diseases and pneumonia, the figures help the state department to gauge the general health status of particular population cluster.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-to-swine-flu-worries/articleshow/5035166.cms

 

[Treyfish]

Re: Respiratory, lung diseases add to swine flu worries

Swine flu, the alpha disease
First Published : Last Updated : 23 Sep 2009 08:09:48 AM IST
23 Sep 2009 04:07:00 AM IST



BANGALORE: ?It is not just H1N1 deaths that are seen, but the state has also been witnessing frequent deaths due to pneumonia and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS),? Dr Usha Vasunkar, director, State Health and Family Welfare told Express.
Ever since the H1N1 virus has crept into the country, the awareness level has slowly risen, with Karnataka being no exception. Apart from the health department and the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), many other voluntary organisations have stepped up to spread awareness among the people.

BBMP has taken up various steps to spread awareness on H1N1. ?We have been distributing pamphlets and putting up posters in hospitals.

Around 150 hoardings have been put up around the city to inform the general public about H1N1. Besides coming up with H1N1 helpline, we have also tied up with BSNL and are sending sms alerts to the public,? said Dr Manoranjan Hegde, project coordinator, Communicable Diseases, BBMP.

While the flu has forced many schools to remain closed for weeks, the malls and multiplexes were monitored and advisories issued for the festive season. BBMP has also been conducting health check-ups for students and alerting parents to follow the safety measures, he added.

However, with the H1N1 scare gaining attention, other vector-borne (infectious) diseases, which affect patients equally, are being ign o re d . D r P u r n i m a Parthasarathy, consultant, Internal Medicine at Manipal Hospital, says, ?Since H1N1 is a new disease, it is being more focused on. More so as H1N1 is an unexpected flu compared to the common kinds of seasonal flu, and no vaccine is available till date.

People as well as the health department is becoming more apprehensive.? ?But after the monsoon, a lot of other vector-borne diseases will be cropping up, so awareness regarding other diseases like dengue, chikungunya, diarrhoea, should go hand in hand,? she added.

As per the state health department statistics, it is seen that from June, when the state witnessed the first H1N1 death, the H1N1 death toll has risen to 80 in the state.

On the other hand, pneumonia- related deaths in August 2008 was 95, compared to 65 in August 2007.

As per BBMP records, the number of confirmed dengue and chikungunya cases from January this year till date are 200 and 620 respectively.:tiphat:http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Swine+flu,+the+alpha+disease&artid=lWTKgHu3ITE=