Deaths due to swine flu occurred in the city as government and private doctors did not work in coordination to provide timely treatment, District Collector J. Syamala Rao said on Monday.
Addressing a swine flu awareness rally at Poorna Market, he said private hospitals had been asked to earmark beds for swine flu. Throat swab testing was now taking 48 hours as the samples had to be sent to Hyderabad. The Principal Secretary (Health) had asked that a proposal to set up a centre at Visakhapatnam for the confirmatory tests be examined. Five persons had died of the fever in the city.
Mayor Pulusu Janardhana Rao flagged off the rally. Municipal Commissioner B. Sridhar said an awareness campaign had been taken up utilising all forms of media and about two lakh preventive doses of homeopathy medicine were distributed. MLA Dronamraju Srinivasa Rao stressed the need for preventive treatment.
Rallies were also flagged off from Diamond Park, Jnanapuram, Gajuwaka, Arilova and NSTL Gate.
Doctor contacts swine flu
A doctor of a corporate hospital in the city, who is treating a swine flu patient, contacted the fever, it was learnt late on Monday evening.
The DMHO’s office is yet to receive a written report from the hospital, but rushed the required medicines to the doctor and started preventive treatment his family and colleagues close to him.
Before the doctor’s case was noticed, reports of tests done on five patients undergoing treatment at the Government Hospital for Chest Diseases here, were received and all tested negative swine flu, DMHO J. Sarojini said.
Three swine flu positive patients are undergoing treatment at the hospital at present.
One more case was admitted with swine flu symptoms on Monday and the result of the test done on him would be received tomorrow.
Meanwhile 11 patients who approached the Chest Hospital during the day had been kept under B category and were sent after giving medicines.
