The district administration has asked the State government to send a team of senior officials to the district to study the swine flu situation and give suggestions and support to control it, according to district Collector J. Syamala Rao.
Three so far died due to swine flu, two of them in the last few days, and more number of positive cases are being reported in the district in the recent past. Nineteen swine flu positive cases have been reported, including three deaths, while nine are being treated at the Government Hospital for Chest and Communicable Diseases here. Even as the number of swine flu cases is reportedly on decline in other parts of the State, including Hyderabad from which many positive cases and deaths have been reported, swine flu positive cases are on the rise in the district. Cases are also being reported form rural areas. If a team from the State government, including a Principal Secretary visited the district, it could understand the situation and give suggestions, Mr. Syamala Rao said at a press conference he addressed along with District Medical and Health Officer J. Sarojini, Joint Collector S. Satyanarayana and District Revenue Officer D.V. Reddy here on Monday.
Meanwhile the awareness campaign about swine flu symptoms and the need to approach a designated testing centre would be stepped up and the number of beds in the Chest Hospital had been doubled to 20.
Ten beds in KGH
King George Hospital has allotted 10 beds, the officials said.
On the awareness campaign, Mr. Syamala Rao and Dr. Sarojini said Medical Officers and ANMs of PHCs and Sub-Centres were told to continue the programme. The private hospitals and nursing homes were told to refer all swine flu cases to the chest hospital. Awareness camps were being conducted for the RMPs, to whom the rural people approach mostly.
Mr. Syamala Rao said that establishing a swine flu testing centre would be an expensive affair but treatment for suspected cases was started even before the result of the test was received from Hyderabad.
Dr. Sarojini said a patient from Arilova was being discharged on Monday and staff from here had gone to the area to explain to the locals that the patient’s presence would not cause them any problem. The staff would also check the area for swine flu cases.
