Swine flu confirmed in state

BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Saturday confirmed Odisha's first swine flu case this year. The H1N1 virus had claimed 32 lives in the state in 2010, when the disease was first reported in Odisha.
A 22-year-old woman admitted in a private hospital in Bhubaneswar has been found positive for the Influenza A virus, a senior health official said. She was described as a suspected case for H1N1 on Friday and TOI was the first to report the case.
"The Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) has conveyed to the government that laboratory test of samples taken from the woman has tested positive for H1N1," director public health services (DPHS) Dr Prasad Kumar Patnaik told TOI. "We have despatched a team of personnel to the patient's native place and the treatment centre for further investigations. Required steps as per the Centre's prescribed protocol are being taken," the DPHS said.
Patnaik said the government is on alert. "We have taken stock of the situation. The state drug unit has sufficient Tamiflu, the medicine effective against the influenza A virus. There is no reason to panic," he said. The government officer said the patient is completely stable and is recuperating well. The woman was reportedly taken out of ventilator on Saturday after her condition improved though she continues to be in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Since H1N1 virus survives and circulates better in winter, the coming months of October to January will be crucial, government authorities believe. RMRC sources said it is getting several suspected samples for test from various hospitals. Of the 16 suspected cases tested so far, however, 15 samples have tested negative.
Among other states, Maharashtra has reported H1N1 this year; Pune city has reported over 10 H1N1 deaths recently. Odisha had reported 32 H1N1 deaths in 2010 but no positive case in 2011.
As many as 981 people died of H1N1 in the country in 2009 from among 27,236 who tested positive. In 2010, 1,763 people were killed in the infection from among 20,604 positive cases. Seventy-five of the 603 positives cases died of the disease in 2011 in the country.