WHO finds spurt in Swine flu cases

The World Health Organization (WHO) which has declared swine flu as pandemic has reported on June 12 as 29,699 laboratory confirmed cases of Influenza A/H1N1 infection from 74 countries, including 145 deaths so far.

In its latest update on June 13, the WHO has said that the health screening of passengers coming from affected countries is being conducted in 21 International airports. On this date, around 47339 passengers were screened of which 26482 were from affected countries. A total of 76 counters have been made at these airports where 221 doctors and 111 paramedics have been deployed to screen the passengers.

In India, the six-year-old girl who traveled from New York has tested positive at NIV, Pune. Her one-and-half year old brother has also tested positive. Both children have been admitted to the identified health facility and their conditions are stable.
The siblings had reached India along with their parents from New York on June 10.

Since they are too young to be quarantined, the sister-brother duo are being accompanied in hospital by their grandfather, who was put on anti-viral drugs and has tested negative for H1N1 virus. The family members were also being tested and their samples had been sent to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) for tests.

A 24-year-old student, who came to Hyderabad from Austin (US) via Dubai-Mumbai, was also admitted to hospital after showing swine flu like symptoms. While in Tamil Nadu, a five-member family was quarantined at the airport after they arrived from the US.

Meanwhile, out of the 240 persons tested for novel Influenza A [H1N1] virus in the country, 17 have been found positive. Among them nine have been discharged and rest of the passengers has been admitted to the identified health facility. The rest have been found negative for the Influenza virus.

“A total of 17 swine flu cases have been reported (in India), of which nine patients have been discharged. The rest of the patients are all stable and are admitted to the identified health facilities,” a health official said in Delhi.