Delhi has reported its second death due to swine flu this season with a young adult from East Delhi succumbing to the virus in a private hospital on Thursday.
Doctors across the city had warned the public about the rising number of swine flu cases, following the death of a 42-year-old woman from Uttam Nagar who had earlier this week succumbed to HINI virus.
Charan Singh, Additional Director in-charge of Public Health, Health Department said: “The death of this young adult in East Delhi on Thursday has taken the toll to two.”
Delhi has reported 30 swine flu cases this week, with eight new cases being reported on Thursday. The city had reported 38 cases last year. Sixteen fresh cases have been reported this week from areas including Madangir, Sangam Vihar, Greater Kailash-I, JNU campus, Laxmi Nagar, Rajouri Garden, Masjid Moth of South Delhi and Chhattarpur.
While two patients have been admitted at Safdarjung Hospital, the rest are being treated at various private hospitals in the city.
Meanwhile, for uniform reporting and to avoid over and under diagnosis of swine flu, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has recommended that all members of the Association get themselves tested only from government accredited laboratories.
“In Delhi, only three private labs are accredited for swine flu testing,” said Dr. K.K. Aggarwal, honorary secretary general, IMA. He added that the Card Rapid Test is not reliable and should not be used to diagnose H1N1 cases.
“Only rRT-PCR test is reliable and should be used to diagnose H1N1 flu and this technology is available only in selected laboratories. The samples to be sent for the tests are throat and nasal swabs. No blood test is available for H1N1 diagnosis. The test report may take up to 24 hours to be available,” he noted.
IMA recommends swine flu testing only for patients who have flu-like symptoms with breathlessness or in pregnant ladies with flu-like symptoms. These are the patients who may require hospital admission.
Dr. Arpit Jain, senior consultant, Internal Medicine, Artemis Hospitals said: “Swine flu is more common in winters, but it does not mean that it can’t occur in other seasons. The flu virus survives best in cold and dry conditions, such as those found indoors in the winter. During winters, people spend more time indoors and breathing each other’s air, leading to increase transmission.”
Persons under heightened risk from the virus include those with chronic medical condition (like chronic kidney, liver or heart disease, diabetes, asthma, chronic bronchitis), those of 65 years of age or older, children younger than 5 years and pregnant women.
Treatment options, apart from the usual treatment of any flu like illness through paracetamol tablet and cough syrups, an antiviral tablet oseltamivir (Tamiflu) is prescribed in some cases. Another antiviral drug zanamivir is available in inhaler form. It is used less frequently.
“Flu is diagnosed when a person suffers from cough and cold. Only sore throat is not a sign of flu. Flu patients do not require antibiotics. Unless cough and cold are associated with breathlessness, it does not require admission,” added Dr. Anil Bansal, a Delhi Medical Association member.
