Two students at Satara school test H1N1 positive, 25 show symptoms

SATARA: An ashram school run by the tribal department of the state government near Bamnoli village in Satara district has come under massive medical surveillance after two students tested positive for swine flu and as many as 25 students and a teacher showed symptoms of the contagion.
The throat swab samples of the two students, which were sent to the Pune-based National Institute of Virology, tested positive for the H1N1 influenza on July 5, following which all the students were screened by the health department.
The school has set up a special desk for screening of students and treatment for swine flu.
Satara district collector Sambhajirao Kadu-Patil said there was no need to panic. "We have ample stock of Tamiflu. All preventive steps have been taken," he added.
District health officer Bhagwan Pawar said, "The two students who tested positive have been quarantined at the Satara civil hospital, while the 25 children with symptoms have been isolated at the school itself. The classes are being run as usual,"
The school has 341 students, out of which 296 reside in the school itself. It runs classes from Std I to Std X.
"The new academic session commenced on June 12. Since a few students have been complaining of cold and cough since June 28, they were moved to a primary health centre for treatment. Between June 29 and July 3, blood samples of around 65 students were taken for testing for malarial parasites," Pawar said.
"Five of the students were moved to the Satara civil hospital on July 4 as they were showing symptoms of swine flu. The throat swab samples of two students tested positive for swine flu," civil surgeon Suresh Jagdale said.