Click to play videoMumbai: After a calm year, swine flu has again reared its head in Maharashtra, with 69 cases and seven deaths reported in the last fortnight in Pune.
At least 27 cases of swine flu have also been reported in Andhra Pradesh and 28 in Rajasthan with 5 deaths.
Transmission in Pune has shot upto 15 per cent in this month, according to the National Institute of Virology. Authorities are releasing additional funds for equipment like ventilators at government hospitals and are also looking to rope in private hospitals for treatment.
"We will be visiting hospitals, me and other MLCs. We hope that with the summer months coming, the infection will die down." Pune MLC Neelam Gore said.
However, doctors insist the virus has lost its sting and the Pune spurt is an aberration due to erratic weather changes. Influenza of any kind increases during the changing months. The good news is that experts have not noted any significant mutation in the H1N1 virus, so Tamiflu, the first line of treatment, continues to remain effective.
Taking a cue from the 2009 experience, when hundreds of students were infected, triggering closure of many schools and colleges, health authorities are focusing on children.
"Seven days of no school will not make your child any less of an Einstein, so please avoid school when ill. Give them fresh food, fresh fruits, cross ventilation, wash hands," Lung Specialist at Lilavati Hospital Doctor Suresh Rang said.
Though doctors maintain there is no cause for alarm just yet, if you're down with flu like symptoms, don't self medicate and get medical help immediately.
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