Swine flu: Assam gears up

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, February 27: The Centre has sent to Assam 1,000 Oseltamivir packs, an antiviral medication used to treat influenza A and influenza B, as the State administration gears up to prevent seasol influenza H1N1 from spreading to the State.

The Assam Health & Family Welfare department has reviewed the preparedness in the State. Nodal Officer Dr BC Bhagawati has been asked to monitor and report the situation on daily basis.

The Oseltamivir packs received from the Centre have already been issued to the relevant treatment centres.

The Drugs Controller has been directed to ensure that pharmacies having scheduled ‘X’ license will keep stock of Tamiflu capsules and Tamiflu syrup (oseltamivir) to help mage any crisis.

Official sources also informed that sufficient stock of persol protective equipment and diagnostic facilities are available at Gauhati Medical College and Regiol Medical Research Centre at Lahowal. All Medical Colleges of the State are prepared to treat severe cases, and isolation facilities are being kept ready in all district hospitals.

Though there is no case of swine flu or seasol influenza H1N1 reported in the State, the virus has already spread to the Northeast. galand has so far reported four cases and Mizoram one. In all the five cases, the patient is reported to have been infected when they were outside the region.

Some samples have been tested in Assam at the Lahowal Centre, but none have tested positive for H1N1.

The total number of swine flu deaths has crossed 900 across the country this year, with Rajasthan being the worst affected.

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