The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Swine flu: authorities gear up

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Sunday, Jul 25, 2010
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Swine flu: authorities gear up

Staff Reporter

A medical officer to guide, help and provide information to swine flu patients, appointed
Contact Nos are: Medical Officer Dr. Narahari: 95536-72335, Office of DMHO: 2754-2733

HYDERABAD: District health authorities have started making special arrangements to treat the large number of pregnant women who are testing positive for swine flu. Special isolation wards at Nayapul, Niloufer and Sultan Bazaar government maternity hospitals have been set up.

From now on, pregnant women visiting government maternity hospitals for their regular antenatal checkups will also be tested for swine flu symptoms.

Isolation ward

A special isolation ward for women has also been set up at Gandhi Hospital. The authorities have requested public to visit nodal centres identified for swine flu treatment instead of private hospitals and paying up hefty bills. Osmania, Gandhi, Chest hospitals, district area hospitals at Nampally, Koti, Vanasthalipuram, Golconda, Kondapur are the nodal centres and have enough isolation beds, drug stocks to handle swine flu patients.

In press conference on Saturday, Hyderabad Joint Collector Smita Sabharwal said that enough measures have been taken to manage further increase in cases of swine flu. “There is no need to panic because facilities are available at government hospitals. We are closely coordinating with private hospitals,” she said.

Since January, 111 cases of swine flu have been reported in the State of which 101 cases were reported in June alone. In the capital, between January and July, 53 cases and four deaths were reported. In the current flu season 13 deaths had occurred of which six were pregnant women.

Medical officers at 64 Urban Health Posts (UHP) will conduct awareness and health camps on every Tuesday and Saturday.

Close to 35 high risk slums have been identified and swine flu awareness-cum-health camps will be conducted till August, officials said.

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