Four suspected cases of Swine Flu emerge in Jamshedpur

Jamshedpur, April 6: The local health department has issued an alert across the district for swine flu, after four suspected cases of swine flu emerged from Jamshedpur.  

Though, the surveillance office is keeping it’s finger crossed till the throat swab sample confirmatory reports come from the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED) Kolkata but officials have already pressed the panic button having learnt its lesson from the past when swine flu had reached epidemic proportion in the city. A 75-year-old woman, a resident of Kadma, died in the city from swine flu in 2015.

 “We have sent alerts to all our surveillance officers across districts today to inform all private and state-owned hospitals to immediately inform about any suspected swine flu cases so that throat swab samples can be collected and sent to Kolkata at the earliest for early confirmation. We have also asked all the officials to ensure that medicine prescribed to control the severity of swine flu is in adequate amounts at all district hospitals,’ said a health official.

He said that there is no need to worry and people should not panic. He said that the
administration was, however, alert and if any such case was reported it would be properly checked.

Sources at the district civil surgeon’s office revealed that Railway Hospital in Khasmahal, Tata Main Hospital, Tata Motors Hospital, Mercy Hospital and MGM Medical College and Hospital have been asked to keep isolation wards ready as a precautionary step.

“We have written letters in the last week of March to all the major health centres to keep ready isolation wards. We have also provided the workers of MGM Medical College and Hospital and other health centres with other necessary instructions.

The official said that steps for prevention remain the same as always. People should wash their hands, cough into their sleeves and stay home if they get sick.

“But it is essential to remain aloof from one who has symptoms of flu. A room should be assigned where the sick can take rest. The situation in the city is much better and no suspect was traced today,” he conceded.

The East Singhbhum district health department is worried as with ongoing summer vacations and around 20,000 city based students pursuing higher education in various parts of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh are returning homes for vacations and summer internship.

“We want to prepare ourselves before any untoward incident happens. There has been no swine flu positive case or even suspected cases in the district. But we are pulling up our socks in order to meet any emergency. Our staff are trained in using PPEs for collection of throat swabs. It is mandatory for doctors and paramedics to use PPEs while treating patients with viral strain,” said the health official.