So far, 100 people have been hospitalised with H1N1 cases and two people have died in Bengaluru due to the virus attack which is also called as swine flu.
According to government guidelines, only patients suspected with type C of H1N1 virus should be hospitalised, where as those with type A and B should be treated as suspects and provide adequate observation and medication.
BENGALURU: The state government has warned private laboratories against arbitrarily imposing throat swab test on all patients suspected to have Influenza A (H1N1) saying this would burden the health system without addressing serious cases. The violating laboratories would be punished, say officials.
The move to take punitive action against private labs comes in the wake of conflicting reports of H1N1 cases in Bengaluru compiled by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the State Health and Family Welfare Department. The number of H1N1 cases that the BBMP has been releasing has been much higher than the health department’s data.
So far, 100 people have been hospitalised with H1N1 cases and two people have died in Bengaluru due to the virus attack which is also called as swine flu. The total number of confirmed cases reported in the state is 456 and the total death toll is six.
BBMP collates data for its disease datasheet from test reports submitted by a lab - private and government, whereas the Health and Family Welfare Department considers cases reported by five of the accredited laboratories of Bengaluru.
According to the health department, only five hospitals — two government and three private — Nimhans, National Institute of Virology, Narayana Nethralaya, Manipal Hospital and Commando Hospital are permitted to do the testing. But there are at least 21 other private laboratories that do H1N1 testing and the results are then submitted to the BBMP through private hospitals.
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Around 900 private hospitals and 118 government hospitals in Bengaluru are registered with the city corporation’s Public Health Information and Epidemiological Cell. All these hospitals are mandated to submit weekly reports about communicable diseases to the BBMP, of which around 500 hospitals are following the mandate.
“But the problem with acknowledging the test reports from random private laboratories is the standards and procedures they adopt. Also, often these private laboratories test the throat swab of the patient even if the patient belongs to category A or B of influenza. Whereas, the GoI and WHO guidelines advise lab testing only for category C patients,” said Dr S Sajjan Shetty, joint director, National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, State Health and Family Welfare Department. “Positive results of patients who are category A and B cannot be considered as confirmed cases, they are only suspected cases”.
According to government guidelines, only patients suspected with type C of H1N1 virus should be hospitalised, where as those with type A and B should be treated as suspects and provide adequate observation and medication.
To streamline the system, the department has asked 21 private laboratories to submit an application to the Nimhans (apex laboratory) director seeking permission to conduct the tests. “An inspection will take place to ensure that the laboratory has RTPCR equipment for testing. Once the permission is given, the laboratories can function,” Shetty said.
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However, even after obtaining permission, laboratories should adhere to the government guidelines on H1N1. “We will initiate action as per the KPME Act against those who carry out testing on category A and B patients. Our data will be diluted if the private laboratories continue to do testing of A and B category patients,” the joint director said.
