Swine flu’s down but not out: Docs

Medical experts say H1N1 death after 2-month lull means people, doctors should not let down their guard, but PCMC sees no reason to take latest fatality 'too seriously'

Swine flu's down but not out: Docs

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Swine flu's down but not out: Docs

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Medical experts say H1N1 death after 2-month lull means people, doctors should not let down their guard, but PCMC sees no reason to take latest fatality 'too seriously'

Doctors at Sahyadri hospital were shocked on Tuesday when a resident of Pimpri-Chinchwad succumbed to swine flu, but medical experts are saying there is no reason to panic or think there is an epidemic again after two months of no fatalities.

Saying the latest death only means that H1N1 is still in the city and people should remain alert enough to notice symptoms, doctors denied that swine flu might surface again as an epidemic.

Pimple Gurav resident Basil Vanjari (43), who ran a pathological laboratory along with his wife, was the man who died on Tuesday.

Dr Pallavi Bhargava, a specialist in infectious diseases at the Deenanath Mangeshkar hospital, said the H1N1 death should serve as a reminder that both the general public and doctors should remain alert.

"It certainly gives people a reason to remain vigilant. Till three months ago, any unexplained cough or cold or fever would make people, including doctors, think of the H1N1 infection. But in the past three months, we saw just one case of swine flu, which means infection rate was nearly nil, and that's why many doctors have become relaxed," Bhargava said. "Swine flu isn't top of mind these days and though it is unlikely that there would be an epidemic, sporadic cases would happen and we have to be very alert not to miss them."

Doubting PCMC
In spite of doctors asking the healthcare sector to not ignore the fact that there could be sporadic cases of swine flu, civic authorities did not seem to be particularly concerned.

Medical director of Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation Dr Rajshekhar Iyyer said he was not taking Tuesday's death "too seriously" as the man's medical test was conducted by a private laboratory and not the National Institute of Virology (NIV).

"Had the NIV notified this case, it would be okay, but a private laboratory has tested him and we don't know how genuine it is," Iyyer said. "Besides, so many people die of respiratory infections every day and H1N1 is just another respiratory illness. There has been one death after October 4, so I don't think it is any reason to worry. It is just a sporadic event, nothing too serious."

He added that the corporation was following directives by testing the immediate family of the deceased Vanjari and tracing the people he had come in contact with over the past few weeks.

Dr Vivek Billampelly, former president of Indian Medical Association (IMA), agreed that swine flu was once again brought into focus by the death but said there was no reason for people to panic.

Sharad Agharkedkar, president of IMA, Pune, urged people to go for the vaccine even though there was no longer an epidemic.

"As the transmission rate has gone down to almost nil, the chances of a large-scale spread of swine flu are rare. There will, though, be sporadic cases and we should be alert to symptoms. The advantage we have is that this time we have a vaccine and people should get immunised," he said. "Besides, the city has already developed herd immunity because of the last epidemic and there isn't much reason for worry."