Swine Flu : India : Information and Care on H1N1 epidemic

Latest Updates :

Live Map of Swine Flu affected area , from Wikipedia : Click Here

Government of India has now set a dedicated website for swine Flu ,please check the same for latest information. http://www.swinefluindia.com/

What is swine Flu :

First thing first swine flu is not a new disease and this is now the first time human being are affected by it . Neither is this first time an influenza pandemic is haunting us L ( search of Spanish flu to know more ).

Its just another variant of Influenzavirus A.The other types being –

• Influenzavirus A cause of all flu pandemics and infect humans, other mammals and birds
• Influenzavirus B infect humans and seals
• Influenzavirus C infect humans and pigs

You may click on this Link to know more about RNA virus and mutations .

The present pendemic is caused by virus that is usually found in Pigs- H1N1 . The other variations ie mutations of Type A include :

H1N1, H1N2, H2N2, H3N1, H3N2, H3N8, H5N1, H5N2, H5N3, H5N8, H5N9, H7N1, H7N2, H7N3, H7N4, H7N7, H9N2, H10N7

Like any influenza , H1N1 spreads via body fluids . Saliva , Nasal secretion , faces and blood .Common symptoms of influenza infection are fever, sore throat, muscle/joint pains, severe headache, coughing, and weakness and fatigue.

What Swine Flu is not :

Its not the seasonal influenza .

Most people will not have immunity against it , like seasonal flu .

Its not a death sentence .

According to WHO “The severity of the disease ranges from very mild symptoms to severe illnesses that can result in death. The majority of people who contract the virus experience the milder disease and recover without antiviral treatment or medical care. Of the more serious cases, more than half of hospitalized people had underlying health conditions or weak immune systems”

Prevention :

Be alert and rush to a doctor if your fever persists for more than 3 dayz .

For individuals who are well:

• refrain from touching mouth and nose;

• perform hand hygiene frequently, by washing with soap and water or using an alcohol based hand rub, especially if touching the mouth and nose and surfaces that are potentially contaminated;

• reduce as much as possible the time spent in close contact with people who might be ill;

• reduce as much as possible the time spent in crowded settings;

• improve airflow in your living space by opening windows as much as possible

For individuals with influenza-like symptoms:

• stay at home if you feel unwell and follow the local public health recommendations;

• keep distance from well individuals as much as possible (at least 1 metre);

• cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, with tissues or other suitable

materials, to contain respiratory secretions. Dispose of the material immediately after use

or wash it. Clean hands immediately after contact with respiratory secretions!

• improve airflow in your living space by opening windows as much as possible.

Should I Wear a Mask ? :

Since the disease spreads via nasal fluids you MUST wear a mask when meeting patients .For regular life its recommended you may .

The recommended mask is : N-95 respirators .

While people may use usual surgical masks , cloths or even N95 mask we must remember Face Mask help in preventing the does’t guarantee anything .The other case with Masks is -Quoting WHO :

If masks are worn, proper use and disposal is essential to ensure they are potentially

effective and to avoid any increase in risk of transmission associated with the incorrect

use of masks.

• place mask carefully to cover mouth and nose and tie securely to minimise any gaps

between the face and the mask

• while in use, avoid touching the mask

− whenever you touch a used mask, for example when removing or washing, clean

hands by washing with soap and water or using an alcohol-based handrub

• replace masks with a new clean, dry mask as soon as they become damp/humid

• do not re-use single-use masks

− discard single-use masks after each use and dispose of them immediately upon removing.

Vaccine :

There is no vaccine developed for H1N1 swine flu yet .Its supposed to be available by Sept 2009 .Another thing “evidence suggests that it is unlikely that seasonal influenza vaccines will be protective against the new pandemic virus” –WHO.

Available Laboratory tests:

• Rapid Antigen Tests: not as sensitive as other available tests.
• RT-PCR
• Virus isolation
• Virus Genome Sequencing
• Four-fold rise in swine influenza A (H1N1) virus specific neutralizing antibodies.

High-risk group :

• As per IMA ,its defined as ,
• resident of institutions for elderly people and the disabled;
• people  with certain chronic health conditions (chronic heart or lung disease, metabolic or renal disease or immunodeficiencies);
• elderly people and very young children.

Treatment :

First thing first : NO self medication of over the counter antivirus please.

The treatment advised by WHO for swine flu is an antiviral drug called  Oseltamivir ( branded TamiFlu ).

Since this is declared epidemic recently  . As of now only Govt approved agencies should administer treatment (private clinics should be allowed soon).

Please find the List of Government Approved list of Hospitals in India for treatment of Swine Flu which  also have been remodeled by local contractors like these Commercial Hospital Lighting experts.

City	Hospital	Address	Contact
Chennai	King Institute of Preventive Medicine (24/7 Service)	Guindy, Chennai – 32	(044) 22501520, 22501521 & 22501522
	Communicable Diseases Hospital	Thondiarpet, Chennai	(044) 25912686/87/88, 9444459543
	Government General Hospital	Opp. Central Railway Station, Chennai – 03	(044) 25305000, 25305723, 25305721, 25330300
Pune	Naidu Hospital	Nr Le’Meridian, Raja Bahadur Mill, GPO, Pune – 01	(020) 26058243
	National Institute of Virology	20A Ambedkar Road, Pune – 11	(020) 26006290
Kolkata	ID Hospital	57,Beliaghata, Beliaghata Road, Kolkata – 10‎	(033) 23701252
Coimbatore	Government General Hospital	Near Railway Station, Trichy Road, Coimbatore – 18	(0422) 2301393, 2301394, 2301395, 2301396
Hyderabad	Govt. General and Chest Diseases Hospital,	Erragadda, Hyderabad	(040) 23814939
Mumbai	Kasturba Gandhi Hospital	Arthur Road, N M Joshi Marg, Jacob Circle, Mumbai – 11	(022) 23083901, 23092458, 23004512
	Sir J J Hospital	J J Marg, Byculla, Mumbai – 08	(022) 23735555, 23739031, 23760943, 23768400 / 23731144 / 5555 / 23701393 / 1366
	Haffkine Institute	Acharya Donde Marg, Parel, Mumbai – 12	(022) 24160947, 24160961, 24160962
Kochi	Government Medical College	Gandhi Nagar P O, Kottayam – 08	(0481) 2597311,2597312
	Government Medical College	Vandanam P O, Allapuzha – 05	(0477) 2282015
	Taluk Hospital	Railway Station Road, Alwaye, Ernakulam	(0484) 2624040  Sathyajit – 09847840051
	Taluk Hospital	Perumbavoor PO, Ernakulam 542	(0484) 2523138  Vipin – 09447305200
Gurgaon & Delhi	All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)	Ansari Nagar, Aurobindo Marg Ring Road, New Delhi – 29	(011) 26594404, 26861698  Prof. R C Deka – 9868397464
	National Institute for Communicable Diseases	22, Sham Nath Marg, New Delhi – 54	(011) 23971272/060/344/524/449/326
	Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital	Kharak Singh Marg, New Delhi – 01	(011) 23741640, 23741649, 23741639 Dr. N K Chaturvedi – 9811101704
	Vallabhai Patel Chest Institute	University Enclave, New Delhi- 07	(011) 27667102, 27667441, 27667667, 27666182
Bangalore	Victoria Hospital	K R Market, Kalasipalayam, Bangalore – 02	(080) 26703294  Dr. Gangadhar – 94480-49863
	SDS Tuberculosis & Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases	Hosur Road, Hombegowda Nagar, Bangalore – 29	(080) 26631923  Dr. Shivaraj – 99801-48780

In Pune :

PMC opens 15 swine flu pre screening centers to ease pressure on Naidu Hospital. Centers won’t collect swabs, only conduct check-ups, counseling .

Karve Road  -Erandvana Hospital, Contact: Dr Sarita Ganala (9764000939)

Mhatre Bridge-  Late Anandibai Narhar Gadgil Hospital, Contact: Dr Jyotsana Khole (9422987953)

Ganj Peth – Late Balaji Rakhmaji Gaikwad Hospital, Contact: Dr Sandhya Bahule

Narayan Peth-  Late Kalavatibai Mavale Hospital, Contact: Dr Nila Limaye (9881385015)

Lakshmi Road – Late Mamasaheb Badade Hospital, Contact: Dr Swati Joshi

Raviwar Peth – Hutatma Babu Genu Hospital, Contact: Dr Dinesh Bende (9421018878)

Koregaon Park – Late Bapusaheb Ganuji Kavade Hospital, Contact: Dr Jaya Bhondave (9922504428)

Ganesh Peth – Late Rohidas Kirad Hospital, Contact: Dr Chandrashekhar Gujar

Kothrud – Late Jayabai Nanasaheb Sutar MaternityHospital, Contact: Dr Shyam Satpute (9823217047)

Alandi Road-  Siddharth Hospital, Contact: Dr Bhagwant Gagare (9423004811)

Sahakarnagar-  Late Shivshankar Pote Hospital, Contact: Dr Vidya Rajwade (9422520930)

Aundh Road – Late Baburao Genba Shavale Hospital, Contact: Dr Madhuri Gare (9823224789)

Yerwada – Late Damodar Ravji Galande Hospital, Contact: Dr Ujjwala Khristi (9730571404)

Shukrawar Peth – Dr Kotnis Health Centre, Contact: Dr Asmita Bhoi (9850992960)

Shivajinagar – Late Jangalrao Kondiba Amrale Hospital, Contact: Dr Aparna Gokhale (9823214103)

PCMC

Yashwantrao Chavan memorial hospital, Sant Tukaramnagar, Pimpri

Jijamata hospital, Pimpri

Municipal hospital, Bhosari

Municipal hospital, Akurdi

Municipal hospital, Sangvi

Municipal hospital, Thergaon

Municipal hospital, Yamunanagar, Nigdi

Talera hospital, Chinchwad

References :

Wikipedia , http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/ , http://www.punemate.com/2009/08/swine-flu-screening-centers-pune.html , http://icmr.nic.in/pinstitute/niv.htm , http://www.ima-india.org/