Rhiza Labs FluTracker Forum

ALAPPUZHA: With the reports of two more H1N1 cases on Saturday, the total number of people who have been affected by H1N1 has risen to 28 in the district.

District Medical Officer K M Sirabuddin told ‘Express’ that a 4-year-old boy and an 18-year old girl, both from Karthikapally taluk, were tested positive on Tuesday.

A 45-year-old man, hailing from Haripad, was also tested positive on Friday and his condition is said to be critical.

He was admitted to a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.

According to District Medical Officer (DMO) K M Sirabuddin , of the 14 cases, four are children below the age of two and one is a pregnant woman.

No fewer than five doctors were also affected by the disease.

On Tuesday alone, 14 H1N1 cases have been reported in the district.

The cases were reported from Haripad, Karthikapally, Kuttanadu, Purackadu, Kainakary, Vandanam, Thakazhi, Kalarcode, Karuvatta and Pulinkunnu areas on Tuesday.

On July 7, Union Minister K C Venugopal directed to take immediate steps for filling vacancies of doctors and nursing assistants and ensuring the availability of sufficient medicine in all the hospitals.

Last year, 34 cases of H1N1 had been reported and the the number of deaths due to the fever was two.

State H1N1 nodal officer Amar Fettle on Saturday conducted a special training programme on H1N1 at Alappuzha Medical College Hospital for the doctors of Alappuzha, Kollam and Pathanamthitta district.

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/two-more-cas ... 0-116.html

Two more persons have died of H1N1 influenza in Kerala, taking the total number of deaths due to the virus to eight since the start of the monsoon season in the state.

Five persons, who tested positive, are under treatment in different parts of the state, a Health Department release said today.

The Directorate of Health Services was monitoring the situation closely and steps taken to ensure supply of medicines to hospitals across the state for treating H1N1 and other types of viral fever reported from different parts of the state, official sources said.

Two women, aged 40 and 63, both from Thiruvananthapuram district, died in the Medical college here after testing positive for H1N1 influenza.

A total of 20 patients are under hospital quarantine and 392 persons under home quarantine.

Throat swabs of 28 persons had been sent for lab tests, the release added.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Two-m ... ala/823622

http://rtn.asia/920_h1n1-swine-flu-refu ... d-2-months

H1N1 (swine flu) refuses to die down in Kerala & Karnataka; 16 dead in 2 months
Submitted by Deepti Rajan on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 11:57

Southern states of Kerala and Karnataka are finding it difficult to get rid of the H1N1 virus, with 16 new deaths reported from the two states in June and July.

According to central government figures, Kerala reported 174 cases of confirmed H1N1 infections in the two months, while Karnataka reported 34 infections. None of the other states reported such outbreaks during the period.

The fatality rate was higher in Karnataka, with 6 deaths out of the 34 cases or roughly one six (18%), much higher than the death-rate during the height of the pandemic in 2009. At that time, the death rate was just 5.7%.

Kerala reported 8 deaths among 174 infections during the two months, a fatality rate of 4.6%. This too was mildly above the long term fatality rate of 3.9% in the state. The national long-term average is 5.9%.

The risk of death due to H1N1 increases during 'off peak' times as people are not on their guard against the pandemic and tend to mistake the infection for ordinary flu. The symptoms of H1N1 are very similar to a normal cold and many people never realize that they have had it.

It is particularly fatal to people with weak immune systems, such as pregnant women, TB patients, malnourished people etc..

With these, the death toll from the H1N1 in Kerala has risen to 129 and to 255 in Karnataka and to 2,772 nationally.

Total confirmed infections have risen to 46,777 by the end of July (see chart.)

The H1N1 virus spread to India from foreign countries and particularly affected the regions that send a large number of migrant workers abroad, such as Kerala.

Altogether, the prevalence of the virus was much higher among the Western states of India, which tend to be more connected to the rest of the World, than the interior or the East.

Leading the toll was Maharashtra with 34% of all deaths in India, not least because of Mumbai, followed by Gujarat, with roughly half the number of deaths.

They were followed by their northern neighbour Rajasthan and southern neighbour Karnataka.

India swine flu outbreak 'kills 94'

More than 3000 people have died from swineflu in India since 2009


An outbreak of swine flu in India has killed at least 94 people in just over five weeks, reports say.

The health ministry said more than 450 cases had been reported, mostly in the northern state of Rajasthan.

Officials say they are investigating the cause of the outbreak, with some experts saying low winter temperatures are to blame.

The H1N1 virus, which causes swine flu, first appeared in Mexico in 2009 and rapidly spread around the world.

It killed 981 Indians in 2009, 1,763 in 2010, 75 in 2011 and 405 last year.

It is thought the virus has killed 200,000 people around the world.

Indian officials said 246 cases had been recorded in Rajasthan, where 54 people had died. The capital, Delhi, has reported three deaths so far.

But, with more than 60 cases reported in the city in 2013, Delhi authorities have ordered 22 hospitals - including five private clinics - to set up isolation wards to treat cases of swine flu.

Health officials said there was "no need for panic", but advised people to take precautions "for prevention and management of the disease".

Swine flu is a respiratory disease which is caused by a strain of the influenza type A virus known as H1N1.

Although the disease originated in pigs, it is now a wholly human disease and is spread by coughing and sneezing.

Scientists say symptoms of swine flu in humans appear to be similar to those produced by standard, seasonal flu - fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and chills. Some people with the virus also experience nausea and diarrhoea.

Experts say vulnerable groups include pregnant women, children under five, the over-65s and those with serious conditions such as heart disease, asthma, diabetes or immunosuppressive illnesses.

link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-21378213