Swine Flu scare: Demand up for homeopathic flu medicines in Gujarat

In the wake of the swine flu claiming about 155 lives in Gujarat since January, and close to 2,000 positive cases being reported in the state, demand for homeopathic flu medicines which are said to boost immunity against the deadly virus has surged, increasing by almost 40 per cent. Several homeopaths are planning to hold camps across the state to distribute the medicines free of cost to those interested.

People are opting for homeopathic flu medicines, which help to build immunity against the swine flu virus, say council members of the Gujarat State Homeopathic Medical Council. S J Mehta, member of the council from Ahmedabad, said that "Many are opting for the medicines as a preventive measure. Even the Central Council of Homeopathic Medicine has recommended a couple of drugs which can be used as preventive measures, and also in swine flu positive cases."

So far around 1,936 positive cases have been reported in the state, of which around 722 have been cured.

Mehta said that many homeopaths were actually distributing the medicines for free to all those who need it. R K Trivedi, another homeopath and council member from Anand district, which has so far seen five deaths, said that he is planning to start a camp where he would distribute medicines free. "We had distributed around medicines to around 1,000 people around two years back when the previous swine flu outbreak had happened. This time on, we plan to distribute to around 3,000 to 4,000 people over the next week or ten days," he said.

There are around 18,000 registered homeopaths in Gujarat, of which at least 50 per cent are practicing. Homeopathic medicines are available at almost 7,000 to 8,000 outlets or practioner's clinics across the state.

In contrast, ten tablets of the llopathic drug Tamiflu cost around Rs 445. These, however, are distributed free among patients at government hospitals. In allopathic line of treatment as well, as part of preventive measures, vaccines are available. Companies like Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila, Delhi-based Panacea Biotech, Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech, and Pune-based Serum Institute of India, have variants of the epidemic flu vaccine in their kitty. However, there has been no major procurement of the vaccine by government agencies. These vaccines cost around Rs 900 per vial. Homeopathic medicines are much cheaper in contrast. In all over 9,300 people have contracted swine flu across the country in 2015. The drug Oseltamivir is made by Indian manufacturers and government sources declined any shortage of supply.

It could also be mentioned here that Union Health Minister JP Nadda had met state health minister Nitin Patel and health department officials here in Gujarat last week to take stock of situation as well as devise measures to handle the swine flu scare.