There is a dilemma facing many because there is little difference between the symptoms of swine flu and other forms of influenza.
No one in their locality has tested positive for swine flu, but the Meledath family fears that their 13-year-old son, Abhijit could be carrying the H1N1 virus. “My son has had fever and body ache for the last three days. My doctor said it could be the seasonal viral fever. I have been asked to wait for another day before deciding if my child needs a screening test,” says Alpana Meledath.
This is a dilemma facing many because there is little difference between the symptoms of swine flu and other forms of influenza, and the monsoon season is when Mumbai sees a spurt of viral fever cases due to the humidity in the air.
“A tickle in the throat, body ache, fever and a sniffle in the nose are common symptoms in both swine flu and viral fever as H1N1 virus is a subset of Influenza A virus,” says Dr Hemant Thacker of Jaslok Hospital.
Pratima D’Silva, a family physician, says there is panic among parents who’re second-guessing their children’s symptoms. “I’ve been discouraging them from rushing to swine flu screening, and in fact in all the cases that came to me, the patients recovered in due course.” Dr Thacker advises people returning from Pune and who have symptoms to first go for a flu test to see if it is Influenza A. Dr Ravindra Rupwate, chest physician at Wockhardt hospital, adds that “it is best to visit a family doctor and be under observation within 24 hours of experiencing any of the symptoms.”
People most at risk are children under five, elderly people with chronic heart, lung or kidney ailments, and those with immunosuppression problems due to treatment or disease.
For the rest, the severity of the swine flu’s effect will depend on the factor’s such as a person’s general health and immunity. But doctors point out that infectious diseases like malaria and TB are still far deadlier than swine flu. “There are many more people who die of malaria as compared to swine flu. The mortality of swine flu is very low,” says Dr Thacker.
For people with mild symptoms of swine flu, doctors now say a home quarantine works best. “Isolate yourself and avoid contact with other people. If the condition worsens, then go for screening,” says Thacker. Doctors also emphasise the importance of simple hygienic measures like washing hands and covering the face while coughing to minimise the chances of the flu spreading.
According to WHO, the vast majority of people with swine flu have not needed drugs to make a full recovery. In fact, one out of three people who become infected will not even realise they have had swine flu because they will have had none or only very few symptoms.
Doctors say swine flu is here to stay, but most people who get swine flu will recover without any hospital treatment. Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan also sought to reassure the public on Saturday. “It is a viral situation and the health experts are doing their job. It is in our interest to support the health experts, rather than spread panic,” he told DNA.
But, so far, after the death in Pune and now Mumbai, it’s panic in the air. “The patient traffic at my clinic has doubled. Most of them are cases of viral fever, coupled with panic,” said Dr PV Vaidyanathan, Chemur-based paediatrician.
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