Four suspected cases of swine flu surface in city

Manmeet Singh Gill
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, January 23

The Health Department recorded four fresh suspected cases of swine flu on Wednesday. The total count of suspected swine flu cases has risen to 12. Of the total, only one has been confirmed as positive while the samples of four have been declared negative.

Dr Navdeep Kaur, nodal officer, swine flu control, said the test reports of seven patients were awaited.

The patients, admitted to different hospitals, are being adminisered Tamiflu, a medicine for swine flu treatment.

Officials said the private hospitals, through local chapter of Indian Medical Association (IMA), had been asked to report the arrival of suspected swine flu patients immediately to the Health Department.

The department has also issued an advisory to people asking them to take ample precautions. Officials said there was no need to panic as the department had kept a close watch on the situation and all arrangements to deal with the situation were in place.

Civil Surgeon Dr Hardeep Singh Ghai said the symptoms of swine flu were usually like those of the seasonal flu as patients might suffer from headache, cough, fever, loss of appetite, aches, fatigue, running nose, sneezing, watery eyes, throat irritation, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. He said pneumonia may develop in chronic conditions.

The civil surgeon said that people could also take precautions to prevent the disease by avoiding closeness with infected persons. Hands should be washed frequently using soap, and mouth, nose should be covered while coughing or sneezing. The department has also asked people to maintain a healthy diet, increase in water intake and have a sound sleep.