Not just ordinary citizens, even the civic body appears flustered. On Sunday, it made a statement saying that “the influenza A (H1N1) virus is in the air”.
Not just ordinary citizens, even the civic body appears flustered. On Sunday, it made a statement saying that “the influenza A (H1N1) virus is in the air”. So from now on, the screening and isolation centres will administer Tamiflu (the only drug that works against the virus) to even suspected patients as against the earlier protocol of giving it only to those who test positive.
On Sunday, nine more tested positive in the city taking the count of infected patients to 55, while eight new patients were quarantined at Kasturba Hospital.
Rumours about a second death in the city due to suspected H1N1 was put to rest by the BMC, which claimed that the patient was suffering from malaria. Executive health officer Dr Jairaj Thanekar said, “The patient (Vipin Gandhi) was suffering from malaria and was brought in a serious state from Jaslok Hospital.” Gandhi was transferred to the swine flu ward of Kasturba on Sunday evening, three hours prior to his death. “He succumbed even before his throat swabs could be sent for testing,” said sources.
Thanekar indicated the department’s view on the mounting numbers by saying “a mild strain of the virus is in the air, but there is no reason to panic”. The dean of KEM Hospital Dr Sanjay Oak echoed the sentiment, saying that those who are immuno-suppressed (reduced efficiency of the immune system) are more likely to get infected.
But whether the virus is in the air or not, anxiety certainly is. People - faces covered with masks — flocked to various screening centres on Sunday. They insisted on getting tested, and as the queues became longer so did the time taken for screening and collection.
On Sunday alone, close to 800 patients came for screening of which samples of 144 were sent for testing to the Haffkine Research Institute and National Institute of Virology at Pune.
Mahalaxmi resident Gigil D’ Souza was waiting with her two children and husband outside Kasturba’s screening centre for five hours to give the family’s throat swabs for testing. “They have told us to expect the reports only after 48 hours,” she said. Doctors serving at these centres also complained of being overburdened as they were supposed to be on duty for 12 hours. “We are not given relievers and there is a continuous flow of patients,” said a doctor at the screening centre at Bhagwati Hospital in Borivali. At least 12-15 resident doctors from the teaching colleges have been mobilised at the six centres where people are being screened for influenza H1N1.
The condition of Sandeep Gaikwad, the 28-year-old IT executive from Chandivili who tested positive for swine flu and is admitted to Hiranandani Hospital, is “still critical” said Dr Vimal Pahuja, consultant physician. “He is suffering from Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and is still on ventilator-support,” he said.
With inputs from Deepa Suryanarayan and Pandurang Mhaske
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