Swine flu: Government issues advisory to states

NEW DELHI: An advisory has been issued to all states to step up their preparedness to tackle swine flu, Rajya Sabha was informed today.

"Government has issued an advisory to all the state governments and UTs to step up preparedness for H1N1 Influenza," Union Health Minister J P Nadda said in a written reply.

The advisory includes enhanced surveillance, capacity for laboratory diagnosis, setting up of screening centres in outpatient departments of hospitals and earmarking isolation wards, including ventilator beds.

The advisory also includes stocking of personal protective equipments and to make drug Oseltamivir available and also to create awareness among the public for early reporting to hospitals for treatment, Nadda said.

This comes after the disease has claimed 62 lives in various states, including Rajasthan and Punjab.

Swine flu has claimed 34 lives in Rajasthan in January and February this year. Out of 2,000 samples collected in the state, 162 people have tested positive, he said, adding that of them, 34 had succumbed to the H1N1 virus.

Seven more deaths due to swine flu were recently reported in Punjab, taking the death toll from the disease to 24, while four persons including three women died of the H1N1 virus in Haryana.