Bihar airlifts medicines as swine flu cases rise to 13

Bihar government today procured swine flu medicines after the number of people who tested positive for the H1N1 virus rose to 13.
"We have flown in 5,000 Tamiflu tablets this morning. Another 20,000 tablets will arrive from Hyderabad tomorrow to combat swine flu. Around 5,000 vaccines will come by Sunday, though we already have some vaccines available with us," said Brajesh Mehrotra, Principal Secretary of the health department.
He said that among those who have tested positive for swine flu, 12 are from different parts of Patna, while one is from Samastipur. All of them have mild symptoms and efforts are on to admit them in isolation wards at Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) in the state capital. Their family members have been given Tamiflu tablets as part of prophylactic treatment.

The official said that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and N-95 masks have been made available in all districts for medical staff, who will be engaged in treating H1N1 cases.
Isolation ward of 40 bed has been created at IDH, while those at Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH) and Nalanda Medical College Hospital (NMCH) have 30 beds each. Guru Gobind Singh Hospital has an isolation ward of 10 beds, he said.
Mehrotra said all district hospitals have also been asked to create isolation wards of at least five beds each. All civil surgeons have been provided Viral Media Kit (VMK) to send swap samples for test at Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS), the lone testing facility in the state for swine flu.

"We have also started screening at major railway stations in all districts in the wake of people returning to their native places on the occasion of Holi. Helpdesks, doctors and paramedics will be present at railway stations round the clock," Mehrotra said.