Telangana is the worst affected State in the country with over 150 swine flu positive cases getting reported along with seven deaths in just 20 days between January 1, 2015 and January 20. After a lull of two years, positive cases of swine flu started getting reported in large numbers from the second half of December 2014 and before health officials could realise the gravity of the situation, positive cases started to touching double digits every day.
Almost all major corporate hospitals in Hyderabad and the state-run Gandhi Hospital, which is also the nodal centre to treat swine flu patients in Hyderabad, are teeming with patients. With swine flu cases getting reported, there is also a jump in the number of patients visiting outpatient facilities of government and private hospitals with influenza-like symptoms.
These days, the average inflow of patients in the out-patient wing at Gandhi Hospital, which usually ranges between 700 and 800 a day, is now at around 1,400 to 1,500. “The only positive thing out of this whole experience is that swine flu virus in Telangana doesn’t seem to be as virulent as was the case in 2009 and 2010 when we lost over 100 lives with a few months. Back then, maximum deaths were of pregnant women, children and elderly,” says K. Subhakar, State coordinator for swine flu.
At present, the daily average of swine flu positive cases getting reported from Hyderabad is around 20. The nodal agency for testing and confirming swine flu virus for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana is Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM). On an average, 50 per cent of the swab samples of suspected swine flu cases patients are turning up positive after IPM testing.
“High risk groups like health care workers, pregnant women, elderly with co-morbid conditions like heart, lung and kidney ailments, diabetics and children below five years are the worst affected. The situation is getting grimmer by the day because Government hospitals are seeing an upsurge in the number of patients with swine flu symptoms and influenza symptoms,” says G. Narasimyhulu, swine flu coordinator, Gandhi Hospital.
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