H1N1
Swine Flu Panic Receding All over India
Regular readers of this blog would realise that in recent days the number of news items relating to the H1N1 Swine flu virus in India seem to have been tapering off. The panic among people has undoubtedly receded. States such as Andhra Pradesh are reporting a decline in the numbers of positive swine flu cases; the numbers of H1N1 positive patients have come down from 60 to single digit number in the last fortnight, according to this report in the Hindu.
Yesterday, for the first time in weeks, there were no Swine flu deaths reported though the cumulative death toll of India from swine flu stands at 389 and positive cases continue to be reported every day.
In contrast with the situation some time back, when schools were being shut down for long durations, cinema halls were either shut or bore such a deserted look that they may as well have been, and people were thronging testing centres in their multitudes, the situation today is different: schools are very much open, cinema halls are crowded, and with Diwali only days away, festive shopping is in full swing.
Testing centres are also getting a breather, people are no longer rushing to get themselves tested in a panic, nor creating a mad rush for public health facilities. People in Hyderabad coming for testing has dropped by three fourths.
We are no longer seeing people with the ubiquitous masks at international airports. Even Pune, India’s swine flu capital is not seeing as many people sporting masks as before and people in Bangalore also seem to be breathing somewhat easier.
Karnataka’s principal secretary for health I.R. Perumal said: “People have realised that there is no point in panicking. It’s a positive sign that places like schools and offices have adopted preventive measures to fight the H1N1 virus, rather than closing public places.”
Related Posts:
fragonzalDecember 3, 2009 at 11:11 am
I work for a large healthinsurance company and we hear it all the time, ” My doctor doesn’t have it or Why don’t any of the pharmacies have it? Seems the swine flu is going to be around for a while and the supply is short. I was able to find Generic Tamiflu, it’s called Oseltamivir priced pretty cheaply at at a website . They had this one and the Cipla brand as well. I thought I may as well get it before it all runs out.