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Swine flu: health officials turn to symptomatic treatment

—Photo: K. K. Najeeb.

Health matters: District Collector V. K. Baby flanked by IMA officals at a meeting to review swine flu transmission and treatment in Thrissur on Wednesday .

Thrissur: In the wake of rapid indigenous transmission of A (H1N1) influenza in the district, the Health Department has recommended symptomatic treatment for the disease.

District Medical Officer V. Divakaran said on Wednesday that it was increasingly difficult to send throat and nasal swabs of every suspected patient for tests with a serious rise in the number of flu cases.

“Health officials in the district have been advised to deliver symptomatic treatment without waiting for test results. Tamiflu can be administered as a preventive drug ,” he said.

Tamiflu is now available in the open market through approved drug shops, including Neethi Medical Stores. District Collector V.K. Baby said that a quarantine wing for A (H1N1) Influenza, equipped with two ventilators, would be set up at Thrissur Government Medical College in a week.

The District Medical Office has intensified its flu awareness drive in educational institutions. The Indian Medical Association will conduct a training programme for doctors to chalk out a strategy to tackle the situation, said Dr. K. Mohanan, district president of the IMA.

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