H1N1 cases in India rises to 15
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
New Delhi, June 12, IRNA -- With three more persons testing positive for H1N1 (Swine Flu), the total number of such cases in India has gone up to 15.
In the national capital, Delhi, a 41-year-old woman, who traveled from Haiti, was the latest case of H1N1 and has been admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital on Thursday.
A 25-year old woman, traveling from New York to Delhi, who reported fever and cough, has also tested positive.
The other positive case was a male passenger who had come from London via Germany to Goa. He has been quarantined at PHC Chicalim, a few kilometres away from the Goa airport.
Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has reiterated that adequate stock of medicines is available to check the H1N1 and there is no need for panic following the outbreak of the disease.
Azad said that the screening of passengers will continue.
Outlining the measures taken to deal with the situation the minister told the media people that 16 more labs are being activated, 10 million doses of 'Tamiflu' have been procured and the Rapid Response Teams are being trained at state levels. In future these teams will also be operationalized at the district level. "Screening and isolation facilities were put in place well in time, all the necessary measures are being taken," the minister said.
The External Affairs Ministry has issued necessary instructions to Indian missions to take up the H1N1 matter with the host governments on an urgent basis regarding the screening of outbound passengers coming to India from the affected countries.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization declared a swine flu pandemic, raising its alert to the maximum level six. The Swedish Government said this in a statement.
A total of 74 countries are now affected by the virus. The World Health Organization's Assistant Director General Keiji Fukuda said that the H1N1 pandemic will last for a period of one or two years.
The Geneva-based UN body last declared a flu pandemic 40 years ago. On Thursday, the number of H1N1 infections reported to the health agency by the 74 countries had reached 27,737, including 141 deaths. All fatal cases have been in the Americas and the Caribbean. The vast majority of deaths have been in Mexico where 108 are known to have been killed by the virus. More than 6,133 have been infected there.
Swine influenza is known to be caused by influenza A subtypes H1N1,[4] H1N2,[4] H3N1,[5] H3N2,[4] and H2N3. It infects people every year and is found typically in those who have been in contact with pigs, although there have been cases of person-to-person transmission.
Its symptoms include fever, disorientation, stiffness of the joints, vomiting and loss of consciousness leading to death.
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