Indore: Chaos prevailed among health department officials on Wednesday when a 34-year-old patient tested H1N1 positive. The department officials were shocked by getting the patient’s report as positive though the day temperature is hovering over 40 degrees Celsius. The H1N1 virus gets active in cold and humid atmosphere.
Integrated Diseases Surveillance Programme nodal officer Dr Asha Pandit said a 34-year-old male patient, resident of Lal Bagh area, has been found H1N1 positive. He was admitted to Apple Hospital after complaints of sever cough and cold about a week ago and his samples were sent for testing in Bhopal’s laboratory three days ago. The patient has been discharged from the hospital.
“We have launched a survey in the area to find out the cases of cough and cold, pneumonia and other diseases as preventive measure. Family members of the patient have also been examined and were advised to take special care of them,” Dr Pandit said.
She said discussions were held with senior officials in Bhopal to know the virus structure,” Dr Pandit said. In all 112 samples were sent to Bhopal for testing since January out of which only two patients, including the one tested on Wednesday, were found positive. One of the patients, who tested positive in January, has died. Similarly, six dengue patients have been traced since January.
38 deaths reported in 2017
District health department had sent 551 samples of H1N1 in 2017 out of which 132 samples were tested positive and 38 patients died. In all 167 patients of dengue tested positive while 36 patients of chikungunya were traced in 2017.