Swine flu advisory issued, 14 suspected cases surface
GURUGRAM: The district health department on Thursday issued an advisory on swine flu after 14 suspected cases of the respiratory infection were reported from the district in the past week.
According to health department officials, these cases were reported from different parts of the district and all patients are currently undergoing treatment.
“The number of suspected swine flu cases has touched 14 in the past few days. All the cases are of the influenza A and B category which don’t require hospitalisation and can be treated at home,” district malaria officer Dr Jai Bhagwan Jatain said.
Swine flu, also known as the H1N1 flu, is highly contagious and has symptoms similar to that of regular flu, such as fever, cough, sore throat, chills, weakness and body aches. Children, pregnant women and the elderly are at risk of severe infection. At times, patients with long-lasting symptoms of swine flu are tested for the disease but if the results come out negative, they are considered suspected cases and are made to go through the medical routine.
Doctors recommend not withholding treatment from people with suspected influenza even if they test negative. Type A and B of the virus have symptoms of common cold and do not require hospitalization, but type C can cause a dip in blood pressure, pneumonia and difficulty in breathing and requires hospitalisation.
Warning that number of cases could rise in the coming days due to the cold, the health department has instructed all government and private hospitals in the district to stay alert for patients exhibiting these symptoms.
According to health department officials, the out-patient department (ODP) at Civil Hospital in Civil Lines would be working full-time on all days of the week to test patients.