IMA issues set of guidelines for tackling swine flu

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) yesterday issued a set of guidelines to tackle swine flu and called on citizens not neglect minor instances of fever with breathlessness www.thehealthsite.com reported citing agencies.

In the guidelines IMA said the matter was important as the current seasonal influenza vaccines were not expected to provide protection against human infection with avian or swine flu viruses. ''However, reducing seasonal influenza risk through vaccination might reduce the theoretical risk for recombination of influenza viruses of animal origin,'' it said in a statement.

IMA president Marthanda Pillai and secretary general KK Aggarwal released the guidelines in New Delhi on Thursday. The IMA said a total of 10 deaths in Hyderabad and one death in Delhi had occurred due to swine flu so far. Delhi had reported 39 cases of swine flu since last year.

The IMA further said, swine flu symptoms could range from fever, cough, sore throat and body aches. The symptoms could persist for one-two weeks, though occasionally nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and rash might also occur. The government had designated both government and private labs to test the presence of virus, it added.

''The government has also set a control room - 23061469. People, for any kind of information on swine flu, can contact it,'' it said.

Meanwhile, a 50-year-old woman had tested positive for swine flu virus in a private hospital in Noida, The Times of India reported. The woman was admitted in Jaypee Hospital with symptoms of fever, coughing and sore throat on 20 December.

According to Dr Naveen Verma, chief medical officer of Jaypee Hospital, medical tests revealed the patient was suffering from H1N1 virus. Her condition was critical when she was put on ventilator, he said, adding, she was recuperating in an isolated ward in ICU, and showing signs of recovery.

According to doctors, she was responding to the medical treatment and was now improving.

In another suspected case, on Thursday a 40-year old woman suspected of carrying swine flu virus was admitted in Kailash Hospital. According to VB Joshi, spokesperson of Kailash Hospital, the doctors conducted primary examination and found symptoms of swine flu. The patient was admitted to Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi.

According to the district hospital officials, they had not come across any patients with swine flu symptoms so far. R N P Mishra, chief medical superintendent of the hospital, said an isolation ward had been created for such patients, but the hospital had not got any yet.