H1N1 cases in the district have increased over the past one month, taking the total number of cases to 33 this year. A total of 20 cases were reported in March alone. However, it is not an alarming situation, according to District Surveillance Officer Dr. Balagangadharan.
“There is enough stock of Oseltamivir in all the government hospitals. Not all infections require medication. However, it is important that the patient is under medical observation and not treating the symptoms with over-the-counter medicines,” he said.
Since the symptoms of the disease are similar to cold, medical advice is necessary if it does not subside in two-three days. It is the elderly, pregnant women and people with co-morbid conditions like diabetes or other illnesses who are likely to develop complications.
After the 2010 outbreak when 255 cases were reported in the district, the number of cases was low.
Hygiene practices while coughing and sneezing and handwashing are important to control the spread of the disease.
There was an increase in the number of cases in the State this year and an alert had been sounded in February by the Health Department.
“There have been 217 cases so far in the State with 13 deaths. The infection has spread across South India and not just Kerala,” said State Nodal Officer Dr. Amar Settle. “Technically, the rate of positivity is taken as a measure of spread of the disease rather than the numbers,” he added.
At present, the rate of positivity is about 22-23%, which is a major jump from 0.1% in 2016. However, in 2015, the rate of positivity was 26%.
