Flu situation managed effectively, says Dean

Management of the A (H1N1) flu situation in Coimbatore has been effective enough to avoid any fatality, Dean of the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital V. Kumaran said on Thursday.Out of 166 persons who had tested positive so far, 161 had been cure of the flu. While most of them had taken oseltamivir capsules from the hospital and got themselves quarantined at home, some others were admitted to the isolation ward at the hospital and taken the full course of medicine.

A combination of reasons had helped in preventing any death, the Dean said. Persons arriving by flights and complaining of flu symptoms were quickly referred to the hospital from the screening camps at the airport put up by the public health authorities.Next, the patients were quarantined either in the hospital or at home.

Those who tested positive were quickly put on a course of the oseltamivir drug.In some cases, those who had a history of contact with flu-positive persons were given drugs even before their test results arrived.The symptoms were clear and the history of contact confirmed the positive case. So, the drug treatment was not delayed.Another major reason that helped in avoiding deaths was the absence of any pre-existing disease in people who contracted the virus. People already suffering from some other problems such as respiratory diseases or diabetes were at risk.

“There are signs of a decline in the incidence. Maybe, the flu virus is less virulent and the warm weather in Coimbatore seems to help (the virus survives in cold weather),” he said.

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