‘Test for swine flu even if there’s only one symptom’ says Health Minister

Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has recently expressed concern that cases of the H1N1 Swine flu have recently been seen to be asymptomatic; that is even those infected are not displaying the commonly expected symptoms of the virus.

The WHO has listed symptoms such as cough, fever, cold, body ache, running nose and sore throat as the common symptoms of swine flu however sometimes people do no display all these symptoms and there have been cases where patients have had only fever or only cold and still tested positive, according to the minster.

“Consider testing of non-symptomatic patients also for H1N1 and administer Tamiflu. At least, there is no shortage of Tamiflu,” Azad has therefore suggested according to this Indian Express report.

As the trials for the Swine flu vaccine are proceeding apace in the country, there are glad tidings that the first imported consignment of swine flu will be arriving in the country next month from a French pharma company, Sanofi Aventis according to this DNA report.

It is to be remembered however that even when the vaccine finally made available in the country, it will be made available for the use of the higher risk groups first, before being made available for use by the common man. Doses will be first provided to the high risk groups like doctors, health care workers, etc, who are most vulnerable to contract the H1N1 infection, the Health minister was quoted as having said.

It was also clarified that once the indigenous vaccine is out again priority will be given to individuals from the high risk groups like pregnant women, senior citizens and children.

Meanwhile the swine flu death toll in the country has now gone up to 1,082 and the total number of people infected with the virus now stands at 27,901. ‘Till date, samples from 117,943 people have been tested for Influenza A (H1N1) in government laboratories and a few private laboratories across the country and 27,901 of them have been found positive,’ according to an official statement.

Swine flu cases in the national capital of Delhi reached the 9,570 and children continue to be the worst sufferers there according to this PTI report, some 5,330 children being affected by H1N1 virus, causing the disease.

According to the WHO, India continues to report maximum number of cases of swine flu in the south east Asian region.

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