Swine flu toll rises to 841 in less than 2 months

Total number of swine flu cases has risen to 14,673 since January

Swine flu has caused 841 deaths across the country since January, with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Rajasthan and Gujarat being the worst-affected states, according to the latest government data. About 40 fresh deaths have occurred owing to the H1N1 virus that causes swine flu in the last few days.

The number of swine flu cases has risen to 14,673 since January. Rajasthan has seen the total number of cases rising to almost 4,550 and number of deaths to 214 since the year began. In comparison, during May-December 2009, when swine flu had hit India earlier, there were 150 deaths in Rajasthan with the total number of cases standing at 3,032.

In 2009, the first H1N1 case was detected in Hyderabad and is considered to be the year when the epidemic claimed the highest number of lives.

In Gujarat, the situation is similar. Since January 2015, there are already over 3,100 cases of swine flu with 207 deaths. The number during May-December 2009 period was 697 total cases, out of which   125 lost their lives. Madhya Pradesh, also a BJP-ruled state, has seen both the number of cases and death soaring multiple times compared to the 2009 epidemic. Since January, MP has reported 630 cases of swine flu with 112 deaths.

Health Minister J P Nadda maintained in Parliament on Tuesday that the situation was under control and the Centre was in continuous touch with state governments.

“We cannot afford a situation where due to irrational use of the drug, resistance is developed, rendering the drug incapable of fighting the virus. However, to ensure that general public requiring the drug does not face any inconvenience, we have advised the state governments to review the locations of the Schedule X Pharmacies and issue fresh licenses for under-represented or not represented locations,” Nadda said in the Rajya Sabha.

The drug Oseltamivir, however, cannot be sold over the counter. It is to be made available only against prescription by a qualified doctor and sold through a chemist with licence under Schedule X of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. In addition, the drug is available through the public health system.

The Centre has recommended vaccine only for the healthcare workers. Guidelines regarding the same have been sent to the state governments. This decision has been taken after consultations with experts. Vaccination of the general public is not advocated, as a public health strategy at this juncture, the minister said. Vaccination becomes effective after about three to four weeks of the injection and the immunity is only for about one year. Moreover, vaccination might not provide full protection against the virus.

All states that have a large number of cases of swine flu are still reporting shortage of drug and inadequate facilities at government hospitals. But the Centre has said there are no reasons to panic and drug availability is adequately addressed. Recently, the Centre said it is procuring additional 60,000 Oseltamivir tablets and 10,000 N-95 masks. In addition, NCDC has floated a tender for additional 10,000 diagnostic kits.