Click to play videoNew Delhi: Six confirmed cases of swine flu were reported across the country on Sunday, bringing the total cases to 23.
The spread seems inevitable, just as the WHO had warned.
On Thursday, the World Health Organization had officially declared a swine flu pandemic, the first global flu epidemic in 41 years.
A day earlier it had said 74 countries had reported more than 27,700 cases of swine flu, including 141 deaths.
On Sunday, two confirmed cases were reported in Bangalore, one was reported in Delhi and Hyderabad, the epicenter of the disease in the country at the moment reported three. The cases in Hyderabad are on the pattern noticed till now.
An old lady with two children flew in from New Jersey, United States and reportedly manifested the systems of the disease.
Delhi too confirmed one more case on Sunday and in Banglore, a mother-daughter duo who flew in on Friday evening from New Jersey tested positive.
Bangalore has earmarked a nodal centre for swine flu cases. The cases and suspected cases have been admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases along with another suspected case.
The Director of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases in Bangalore, Shashidhar Buggi said, “Whoever has travelled from that 192 Flight of Air France, if they develop any of the symptoms, we have asked them to contact. The numbers also have been given by the Director of Health Services.”
The cases in India so far:
- Delhi: 6
- Hyderabad: 12
- Bangalore: 2
- Goa: 1
- Tamil Nadu: 2
The joint-monitoring-committee comprising of the Health department authorities is to take stock of the situation.
It finished its second round of meetings on Sunday.
It included officials from the Indian Council of Medical Research, the World health organisation, Ministry of Animal Husbandry, the Ministry of Environment and the National Disaster Management Authority.
NDMA official, Vivek Chhabra said, “We have been taking a lot of measures but how we can make it further robust, what more we need to do is being looked into.”
Experts however say that the worst of the flu is yet to come. With Rains bringing down temperatures, the virus is expected to spread faster.
“Today the disease is not of that gravity, neither in terms of the spread, nor in the severity. It may come up, we should ourselves for,” said said NDMA's J R Bhardwaj.
The Health Ministry is fighting to keep the numbers down.
Sources have told CNN IBN that the Indian government may introduce the much awaited thermal scanners at airports.
(With inputs from Abhirr VP and Neelu Vyas)
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