The first case of swine flu (H1N1 flu) in the current calendar year has been registered in Anantapur district, with a man being treated at a special ward in the Government General Hospital here.
While it was rampant in 2018 in Anantapur and Kurnool districts with 12 deaths recorded in Kurnool and 10 positive cases in Anantapur district, 2019 was relatively better with only 11 positive cases detected, with no fatalities in Anantapur district. Most of the serious cases were referred to Kurnool and Bengaluru then, but now a special ward houses these patients and treatment is done at the Anantapur Government Hospital.
A resident of Rudrampeta in the city was diagnosed H1N1 positive and was being treated at a special ward in the GGH, and four other suspected cases were also being treated in other private hospitals. Government General Hospital Superintendent M. Ramaswamy Naik told The Hindu that while the man was being treated and was stable, some other patients too had come with symptoms and serology tests were being conducted for confirming the status.
The GGH in Anantapur has a microbiology laboratory that can test if a patient was H1N1 positive and all cases from the private hospitals too needed to send the samples to the GGH as of now to confirm its status, he observed. “It is generally rampant during October, November and December months, but fortunately in 2019 it was relatively dormant with very few cases reported, and it is surprising that in mid-January cases are being reported,” Dr. Ramaswamy added.
Appealing to the general public not to panic and immediately visit the GGH if they had symptoms of headache, fever and cold to ascertain the H1N1 status, he said it could be treated like any simple fever case easily in the majority of cases.
