Hyderabad Registers More Swine Flu Cases

On Monday, new cases of swine flu were diagnosed in the city of Hyderabad, which included a six-month-old baby boy and six others, taking the toll to 17 for the month of January. The total number of cases diagnosed in 2014 since last January stood at 94.

A total of five cases were reported on Monday from the twin cities alone. One case was also confirmed from the district of Kadapa while another from Ranga Reddy district. On the spread of the disease, doctors said that the virus could spread due to people coming in contact with other infected persons or touching infected surfaces. Movement of people from one place to another can also contribute to the spread.

The infected baby from Himayatnagar, Hyderabad, was admitted to a private hospital with a very high fever and running nose on Monday morning. The doctor suspected H1N1 and sent the baby's blood samples for testing. The result came back positive by evening. Senior doctors at the hospital also questioned the child's mother, on whom a doctor revealed, "She had taken the baby to the market. No one else at her home has got a cough or cold. The mother too is healthy."

Doctors are confident that proper treatment and isolation will help in the baby's recovery, as the flu has been diagnosed on the first day itself. Another two-and-a-half-year old girl baby from Kumberwadi is undergoing treatment in another private hospital in the city. Similarly, a 47-year-old man from Kadapa has also been admitted to a private hospital, complaining of symptoms similar to swine flu.

The district surveillance officers are planning to offer counseling for the relatives of the patients on tackling the disease and ask them to take the necessary precautions. Institute of Preventive Medicine has notified that the laboratory will be kept open on Sunday, urging all the private hospitals to send blood samples.

Source: Medindia