Surveillance officers to check swine flu treatment in Delhi

In a bid to tackle the increasing number of swine flu cases in Delhi, the health department has appointed surveillance officers to check the treatment of swine flu at the designated hospitals here.

A total of 17 government hospitals, five private hospitals and 8 laboratories have been designated by the health department to conduct the swine flu test and treatment.

The department also said it was working on adding four more laboratories for testing of swine flu samples.

"To understand how the work is going on at all the designated hospitals, we have appointed 11 officers and are also working to increase the number of laboratories," said R.N. Das, a member of a committee formed to scrutinise swine flu treatment in designated hospitals in Delhi.

The national capital Wednesday reported 13 new cases of swine flu, taking the total figure to 74.

A total of six patients have succumbed to the viral disease, the most recent victim being a 44-year-old from west Delhi who died Sunday.

The committee has learnt that two dead people were found to be suffering from other strains of Influenza beside H1N1 virus (swine flu).

"In two of the patients, we had found other strains also. One of the victims was suffering from diabetes while the other patient was found to have strains of H3N2 which is another type of flu," Das told IANS.

in 2014, Delhi reported 38 cases of swine flu with one death.

Amit Dhamija, consultant of chest medicine at Delhi-based Ganga Ram Hospital, said swine flu virus, which is slightly more problematic than other flu, can be easily tackled.

"Also a factor behind the death in such cases is that the patients suffer from other disease along with swine flu," he told IANS.