‘At 205, Rajasthan reports highest swine flu deaths in country’

JAIPUR: Rajasthan has reported 205 deaths due to swine flu in 2019 (till July 7) which is highest in the country, says a report by the Central government which was issued on Monday. The state also witnessed 5,022 confirmed cases of swine flu which is highest in India.

Concerned over spiralling swine flu cases in the state, the health department is taking the help of department of information technology & communication (DoITC) to track and identify worst-affected areas due to swine flu.

The health department claimed to have taken all possible measures to prevent spread of swine flu. Recently, the government had declared swine flu as notifiable disease. Now, it is contemplating to make use of technology to curb the menace.

“We are developing an online mechanism in which we will get the information about the outbreak of swine flu. There will be a map which will show each and every swine flu case reported in the state. The area, which shows that marks are increasing, it means that swine flu cases are rising in the area and there is an immediate need to carry out preventive measures,” said Dr Ravi Prakash Sharma, additional director (rural health), health department.

After declaring swine flu a notifiable disease, reporting of each swine flu case has become mandatory. Each case will be fed online and it will automatically reflect it on a map through a mark.

Dr Sharma said that such monitoring of the disease through online mechanism will help them carry out preventive activities in particular area with optimum utilization of manpower and resources. “It could be first of its kind initiative taken in the country. However, it is in initial stage as it requires approval from the state government,” he said.

Currently, there is no such alert on swine flu as only sporadic cases are being reported. However, the health department is also planning to track and identify worst-affected areas due to dengue, which is also been declared as notifiable disease.



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