DNA Micro Edit: State needs to be proactive in fighting swine flu

The state government has now asked doctors and patients to start a dose of oseltamivir, commonly known as ‘Tami Flu’,  for symptoms like fever, cough and breathing difficulties. The move comes months after cities like Thane, Pune and Nashik reported a large number of swine flu cases and deaths. Instead of responding to the worsening situation, the state chose to downplay it for a long time, and seems to have adopted a knee-jerk response now.

A few days back,  state health minister Dr Deepak Sawant said the virus pattern was not changing and reiterated that tamiflu remains the most effective cure.

Maharashtra has 1,771 cases and has reported 262 deaths this year from a viral infection that is curable. Mumbai alone reported 313 new swine flu cases in June, and the spike has meant that hospital OPDs are overflowing with swine flu patients. These highly infectious patients could pass it on to their family members and those at work, if isolation is not strictly imposed.

Public hospitals in the city, however, do not have isolation wards, and patients are sent home with instructions to isolate themselves. Most of the swine flu deaths being reported occurred not due to the lack of access to medical care, but because of a delay in diagnosis. Asking patients to pop tamiflu on the first day of fever could mask their symptoms. This could delay diagnosis for other illnesses as not every fever will be a swine flu case. What was required was a fast response to public health issues, instead of firefighting after an infection has spread to cities across the state. It is now vital that proper infrastructure is provided in public hospitals to tackle the increasing number of cases.