The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : City reels under viral onslaught

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Wednesday, Aug 12, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

City reels under viral onslaught

Afshan Yasmeen

Flu scare stretches Bangalore’s medicare system

97 confirmed cases of A(H1N1) have been reported in the State
It takes almost 24 hours for the test reports to be released

— Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

Worried: Even the suggestion of a cold or flu in their child sent parents rushing to hospitals for testing in Bangalore.

Bangalore: Bangaloreans seem to be under siege by a battery of viral infections, the latest among them the A (H1N1) influenza. After five dengue deaths reported in the last three months, and with a large number of people affected by chikungunya, the A(H1N1) scare has added to the city’s disease burden. So far, 97 confirmed cases of A(H1N1) have been reported in the State. This includes five fresh cases that tested positive on Tuesday.

After two school students tested positive for the virus, some city schools have closed down for a few days. Even the suggestion of a cold or flu in their child sends panicked parents rushing to hospitals for testing. Hundreds are lining up at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD) for screening. While the RGICD has a capacity to collect only 60 swabs a day, NIMHANS — the only testing centre in the city — has a capacity to test only 40 samples a day.

To add to the scare, six-year-old Fazia from Prashanthnagar died of dengue at M.S. Ramaiah Hospital on Tuesday, two days after the death of Abhishek (6) from Cheluvappa Garden in the same hospital.

While people blame the civic authorities for not taking measures to check the viral spread, authorities blame the people for not keeping their environs clean.

As Health Commissioner P.N. Sreenivasachari put it: “It is impossible to control anything that is airborne.”

“But what about the mosquito menace in the city that is causing dengue and chikungunya? Why are the authorities not taking up intensive measures to check its spread?” Dhanalakshmi Gnanesh, an aggrieved citizen argued.

The civic authority has embarked on an awareness drive on dengue and chikunguniya involving medical students for its door-to-door campaign. But the situation is going from bad to worse. “Though we have been sending daily reports to the BBMP with addresses of affected persons, we continue to get more cases from the same areas,” said S. Rajanna, Resident Medical Officer (RMO) of Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital.

Chaos

Chaos continued to prevail at the RGICD on Tuesday. Institute Director Shashidhar Buggi’s statement that there was a shortage of testing kits angered waiting patients and doctors had a difficult time convincing people that everyone present did not require to be tested.

V. Ravi, Head of Neuro-Virology Department in NIMHANS told The Hindu that there was a slight delay in the arrival of testing kits from the World Health Organisation (WHO). “This delayed testing for some time. But we have got the kits this morning and tests have resumed,” he said.

“I have come here to get my seven-year-old daughter tested. She has just got a fever but we do not want to take any chances,” said a parent in the queue. Most people who came to be tested had not consulted a physician, the recommended first step before testing for A(H1N1), as the early symptoms of the common flu and swine flu are the same. Faced with a sea of patients clamouring to be tested, some with serious symptoms and most with mild symptoms, the pressure on doctors is building up.

As it takes almost 24 hours for the test reports to be released, people lose patience and blame the health system. “I have waited since Saturday for my tests, I have severe symptoms for 15 days and even my doctor has recommended that I take the test. I don’t understand what they are waiting for,” said Kameez Amar Fathima.

Dr. Buggi has assured people that though there are adequate stocks of Tamiflu, it should be given to those who have either been diagnosed with swine flu or present strong symptoms.

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