The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : 10,000 Tamiflu tablets kept available

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Friday, Sep 25, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

10,000 Tamiflu tablets kept available

Kakinada: The district administration has made 10,000 Tamiflu capsules available for distribution at the district medical and health office for treatment of swine flu patients and 10 beds each were set up at government hospitals at Kakinada and Rajahmundry for suspected swine flu patients. However, none of the 90 plus throat and nasal swabs sent from the district till now, tested positive.

A meeting is being convened with private medical practitioners as a sequel to an awareness meeting held for officials at the Collector’s office on Thursday. Collector Gopalakrishna Dwivedi, SP Y Nagi Reddy and ZP chairman Ch Venugopala Krishna participated.

On the occasion, Mr. Dwivedi said though there was no cause for panic, people needed to take certain precautions to protect themselves from the HINI virus that easily spreads through air from those afflicted with the disease. Personal hygiene and a two or three-layered mask were enough to keep the virus at bay.

He suggested that such masks could be made by the self-help groups and sold at less than Rs 5 each. Some 500 meters of cloth could be provided to them as a beginning. In such a case, people need not buy masks at exorbitant prices which has become order of the day.

In a power-point presentation, district coordinator for swine flu, Dr. Raghavendra Rao said there was not much difference between symptoms of ordinary flu and swine flu except that the latter becomes severe in less than 48 hours. Body pains, high fever, headache, running nose, soar throat, cough, difficulty in breathing, rashes, dehydration are the symptoms shown by swine flu patients. The virus spreads through droplets caused by sneezing of HINI-infected people and that was the reason for use of masks. People could use handkerchiefs or masks which include the WHO-specified but rarely available Respirators-N95 masks made of polyurethane foam.

People could clarify their doubts from BSNL’s toll free phone numbers 12506 or 104 or district epidemic cell number 0884-2362041.

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Andhra Pradesh