13 new flu cases in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Thirteen new cases of H1N1 influenza were confirmed in the Capital on Saturday. The designated government facilities got overwhelmed with a number of people turning up for screening. Close to 600 people were screened at various hospitals and samples of less than 100 people were taken till Saturday evening.

Of the 13 cases confirmed on Saturday, eight are schoolchildren, including two students from Sanskriti School in Delhi. At present, 39 people are admitted in various government facilities of which reports of 16 are awaited.

������The figure is relatively low as compared to yesterday. But the turnout at the screening centres is still very high. Our teams are tracking the close contacts of those who tested positive today. As on Saturday, we have 22 cases in home quarantine,������ said Delhi���s health minister, Kiran Walia.

At RML Hospital, 215 people were screened till 4 pm but samples of just 47 collected with no admission. ������Since the centre became functional, we have screened close to 1000 patients and samples of nearly 175 have been taken. This shows that a huge majority of people had no serious signs of H1N1. We have deployed 20 doctors and an equal number of nurses at the screening centre, but the rush is too much. At lot of people are coming with mild flu-like symptoms and no contact history,������ said Dr NK Chaturvedi, medical superintendent, RML Hospital.

On Saturday, a senior doctor at RML Hospital was advised home quarantine as he showed flu-like symptoms. ������Doctors and other medical staff are at greater risk as they deal directly with the patients. We had given chemoprophylaxis to our staff posted in the H1N1 ward, but doctors at the screening centres are not on it. They wear personal protective equipment while examining the patients,������ said Dr Chaturvedi.

Doctors at other Delhi government hospitals too are finding the swelling numbers difficult to handle. ������Our staff is working round the clock and is fatigued. People have to be educated about H1N1 and measures have to be taken to bring down the panic level in the city,������ said a senior doctor at one of the Delhi government facilities. Meanwhile, Indian Medical Association has asked its members across the country to be prepared to manage the pandemic.