Swine flu cases high but no reason to panic, assures govt

NEWDELHI:Even as cases of influenza A (H1N1) — also known as swine flu — in the national Capital are higher than the mosquito-borne infections, dengue and chikungunya, the state health authorities say there is nothing to panic.

“If you compare with other states, we have far less numbers. Percentage of death in the state of Gujarat, for example, is almost 24, while Delhi has just about 0.63%,” said Satyendar Jain, Delhi health minister, during a press briefing on Tuesday.

The total number of reported cases of swine flu since January 1 this year has been 320, of which 68 are from outside Delhi, said the minister.

Two people have succumbed to the infection, of which one did not belong to Delhi.

The data released by the state health department was till July 16, 2017.

The country is seeing an alarming rise in the number of swine flu cases, as deaths have more than doubled and cases have increased sevenfold in the first six months of 2017 compared to the total infections and deaths last year.

More than a spike in numbers, what is alarming experts are the high number of deaths in young adults, which experts attribute to high mobility in the age group of 20 and 50 years.

Situation in Delhi, however, is somewhat better.

“We are not seeing too many severe cases needing hospitalization this year. Swine flu has anyway been declared seasonal flu so there is no cause for concern,” said a senior doctor from the department of pulmonology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

“However, high risk people that includes elderly, children, and people with low immunity should consult a doctor if symptoms are severe or persist longer,” the doctor said.

Jain also said that the number of cases of the mosquitoborne infections were also less in comparison with the numbers coming from other states so far this year.

“We have 180 dengue cases as compared to 23,094 cases from across India, and 195 chikungunya cases as compared to the total of 15,432 cases. Still, we are monitoring the situation closely and taking all necessary measures,” Jain said.