States having enough flu drugs asked to transfer to others

In the wake of swine flu outbreak, which has so far claimed 191 lives, the Health Ministry today asked the states having enough stocks of flu medicine to transfer it those having inadequate supplies.
The Ministry said it would send specialists to Rajasthan which has reported more casualties.
It also appealed to the states to be observant about the "vulnerable" population - patients having diabetes, hypertension and others - as comorbid conditions led to more deaths in some states.
"The Ministry has advised for inter-state transfer of drugs to states such as Punjab and Madhya Pradesh from states which have adequate stock of the drug to augment their supply.

"PPE and testing kits will be supplied immediately from NCDC to states which have requisitioned them. Specialist doctors will be sent to Rajasthan to assist them in treatment of patients in critical care," a Health Ministry statement said, adding that most of the states have reported adequate stock of medicine along with syrup for children and PPE/masks.
The statement was issued after Additional Health Secretary Arun K Panda reviewed the preparedness of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Telangana, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Odisha through video conferencing.
The Ministry has also asked the states to constantly monitor the situation and that they should conduct Information Education and Communication (IEC) activities to create awareness among masses on ways to prevent the disease.

In the month of January alone, 191 people have died due to the H1N1 virus in the country, including 73 in Rajasthan.