The need to “check” whether one is infected by the H1N1 virus just won’t cease. In fact, with the death of 27-year-old Shilpa Hegde owing to the deadly flu on Saturday, the flu fear seems to have aggravated predominantly amongst the youth.
Although lesser in number when compared to last week, people, noticeably youngsters, kept pouring in at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD) on Monday.
Devraj (24), a software engineer, had just dropped in at the screening centre before reaching work, to check if he was alright. “I had a slight headache and a running nose but nothing too serious. I only wanted to make sure I was not infected by the H1N1 virus since it is in the air and the death toll is increasing by the day,” he said.
The fact that four of five victims of the flu in the city were in the prime of their youth
seemed to be playing on the minds of the youth present at the swine flu screening centre.
Sheetal (22), employed at a BPO, had come on account of high fever and cold for over a week. She was all anxiety as she walked into the doctor’s chambers. And a few minutes later, she was gushing as she came out. “Doctor said it could only be malaria. Thank God! I have been prescribed medicines for malaria,” she said.
Nishant (23) had travelled all the way from Indiranagar to make sure that the fever he had contracted that morning was not a positive symptom of swine flu.“Life is more important to me yaar! Who cares about the rain?” he said. His friend added that since the rains breed such virus, precaution was better than cure.
Sujaya (26) had come with her husband from Hebbal because she had been suffering from severe fever, cold and sore throat. On the generally low turnout of patients, Dr Basavaraj GV, Assistant Professor of Paediatrics said, “The number of patients is less because other testing centres in the city have started functioning.”
Rajeshwari, an employee at the screening centre. said, “Usually there are 600 to 700 people walking in. The number is less today possibly because more centres spread across the city have opened.”
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