This story is from October 23, 2017

Non-locals lengthen list of swine flu cases

Non-locals lengthen list of swine flu cases
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PUNE: In Pune city, 682 cases of swine flu infection and 124 swine flu-related deaths have been recorded this year so far. However, a close analysis reveals that 70% of the patients who succumbed to the virus-induced complications were not local residents, but were referred to hospitals in Pune city from adjoining areas for tertiary care treatment. Similarly, of the 682 people who had contracted the infection, only 42% were local residents.
The remaining 58% patients too were referred to the hospitals in Pune city for treatment.
This means most of the swine flu patients did not catch the infection within the city limits, but outside of it, indicating a wider presence of the virus.
“Often, patients exhibiting severe symptoms of swine flu — breathlessness along with fever and cough — are directly referred to hospitals in Pune city from the adjoining areas,” said Anjali Sabne, the assistant medical officer of health (AMoH) of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
Especially doctors working in the periphery and rural regions of Pune, Ahmednagar, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Solapur often refer patients to hospitals in Pune city when their conditions worsen.
“When such patients test positive for swine flu at hospitals here, they are added to the city’s swine flu case tally. If such a referred patient dies here in Pune city, the death is listed among the city’s swine flu deaths. In fact, the actual number of local residents, who contracted swine flu and died of it, is comparatively less,” Sabne said.
Confirming the referral trend, Sanjay Awate, the state surveillance officer, said, “It is often seen that whenever a suspected swine flu patient’s condition worsens, he or she is referred to hospitals in Pune city for better
medical management. We have often urged doctors to treat patients at their own hospitals and have even provided them with treatment guidelines. But the referral trend still continues.”
“We have asked doctors to administer oseltamivir (popularly known as Tamiflu or Fluvir) within 48 hours if a patient has swine flu-like symptoms and has no other co-morbid condition. Doctors should administer the medicines within 24 hours if the patient has other co-morbid conditions along with unrelenting influenza-like illness. But it is often seen that patients are not given the drug, and delayed treatment leads to complications,” said senior public health expert Subhash Salunkhe.
Analysis of swine flu cases seen among patients living within the Pune city limits reveal that people living in Sangamwadi, Hadapsar and Dhankawadi are the worst hit by the contagion followed by Sahakarnagar, Nagar road and Karvenagar-Kothrud ward offices.
People living in Warje-Karvenagar and Aundh ward office areas are relatively safer than those living in other 13 ward office areas of the city.
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About the Author
Umesh Isalkar

Umesh Isalkar is principal correspondent at The Times of India, Pune. He has a PG degree in English literature and is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. Umesh covers public health, medical issues, bio-medical waste, municipal solid waste management, water and environment. He also covers research in the fields of medicine, cellular biology, virology, microbiology, biotechnology. He loves music and literature.

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