47 swine flu patients till date, state on alert
Earlier, there were 36 confirmed cases of AH1N1 among those who had travelled abroad or had contact with foreigners. But now three cases have been confirmed, and the patients had neither a history of travel nor contact with confirmed patients during our random tests
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KATHMANDU, OCT 17 - Despite the government claim that all-out efforts are being made to contain the AH1N1 flu, the virus seems to be spreading rapidly across the country.
“Earlier, there were 36 confirmed cases of AH1N1 among those who had travelled abroad or had contact with foreigners. But now three cases have been confirmed, and the patients had neither a history of travel nor contact with confirmed patients during our random tests at Patan, Bir, Teaching and Kanti hospitals in the Valley,” said Dr. Jitendra Man Shrestha, Deputy Coordinator of Avian Influenza Control Project, under the Ministry of Health (MoH).
After WHO declared swine flu pandemic in April, the MoH had claimed it was on high alert. After the first confirmed case was repor-ted on June 29, the government had further “increased” vigilance to prevent the virus from spreading by installing check points along the Nepal-India, and Nepal-China borders, including at Tribhuvan International Airport and through awareness campaigns.
Till a couple of days ago, the government had been claiming that Nepal was safe. However, with Thursday’s confirmation of three more cases, government officials concede that the virus is now spreading from some “special” individuals to communities as well, said Dr. Shrestha
Now, the number of swine flu cases in the country has reached 42.
The Health Minstery has directed all major hospitals in the country to treat swine flu patients. According to Health Ministry Secretary Dr. Sudha Sharma, the World Health Organization (WHO) has agreed to provide vaccines for medics involved in treatment in the first stage to boost their morale and encourage them.
The MoH has a stockpile of Tamiflu sufficient for around 36,000 patients in the Valley and for 200 patients in each hospital outside the Valley.
Posted on: 2009-10-17 10:17
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