A number of flu cases have been reported after Rannotsav, Umiya Mata Utsav.
Call it an outcome of the falling mercury or the aftereffects of utsavs and mahotsavs in Gujarat - the state has experienced a rise in the number of swine flu cases considerably.
The H1N1 influenza has so far claimed 60 lives in the state. And the spurt in the disease's incidence comes at a time when Ahmedabad is all set to host the much awaited Kankaria Carnival, from December 25.
The enthusiasm to make the carnival a success is palpable in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC); the Kankaria premises is abuzz with activity, including preparations to create ambitiously extensive murals. But it will be a daunting challenge for the AMC to host around 10 lakh people amid the scare of the second H1N1 wave.
For its part, the state government is stressing the correct messages. The state heath and family welfare minister, Jaynarayan Vyas, said, "Swine flu is not a stigma. What needs to be done is to reach the government hospital as early as possible when one suspects a H1N1 viral infection."
As for the AMC, it has been charged with safeguarding visitors' health after state was hit by swine flu cases after the Umiya Mata temple mahotsav and Rannotsav in Kutch. Officials in the health department do not deny the possibility that direct public contact at such mass gathering might have played a major role in transmitting the disease.
AMC officials say they will establish health rooms within the Kankaria premises to take care of medical emergencies and also help visitors who complain of symptoms indicating swine flu. "Arrangements would be on lines of the Vibrant Navratri Mahotsav. But there are no plans to do anything more than that," said a senior AMC official. "How can we provide such huge number of people with hand sanitisers and masks?" The official said that around 20 lakh people had visited Kankaria carnival last year. "This time, the AMC expects around 10 lakh to 12 lakh people," he said.
The principal health secretary (state), Rajesh Kishore, said "We have been active and from today people at even railway stations and truck stops will be checked for swine flu symptoms." Kishore As said that as far as the Kankaria carnival was concerned, the AMC would take necessary steps. "We also met the representatives of the Indian Medical Association to determine what other measures are required," Kishore said.
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