swine flu: Quest for the right swine flu doctor unanswered
The general question that must pop up in the minds of most of us is - who to go to when one shows swine flu-like symptoms?
Rida Shaikh, the 14-year-old girl who died of swine flu in Pune, had first contacted a private practitioner. The obvious question after her death is: Are these general practitioners can even the symptoms and diagnose correctly?
Says Kartik, a rikshaw puller, in an interview with a leading news channel, said about his ailing son, “I fear for him as where ever I go, people are talking about swine flu and its symptoms. I did not want to take any chance.” Kartik had brought his 13-year-old son with running fever for a checkup in central Mumbai.
Particularly after the first death reported of 14-year-old Rida in Pune, common complaints like fever and sore throat have given sleepless nights to the parents.
Dwindling public faith in government hospitals
Physicians, despite the government’s assurances of adequate facilities in government hospitals, are hesitating to send parents to designated hospitals if they suspect their kids suffering from swine flu.
Says private practitioner Dr. D K Chaudhary, "Kasturba hospital is like a dharamshala. There is no proper management, doctor or treatment."
Ironically, the state government is now turning to such private practitioners to help curb the spread of the lethal disease and to help spread awareness.
Assistant director of Health, Govt of Maharashtra, Dr. Ravindra Katti said, "We have now been requesting private practitioners to help distinguish between and swine flu and other cases of common flu."
But various doctors and physicians stress that it is difficult to distinguish between H1N1 and other flues. They prefer to wait and watch if the antibiotics are working or not, which means the crucial time gets wasted.
Fresh update on the flu cases
New cases of H1N1 influenza have been confirmed across the country of late. At the last count, the number crossed 600 as 22 fresh cases were reported on Thursday.
Pune: The city of Pune has reported nine new cases, which includes four school students who contracted the virus from previous positive cases.
Delhi: Five new cases have been reported in the capital. Of these, four contracted the virus from previous positive cases and the fifth case is that of a 19-year-old girl who returned to India from Singapore.
Mumbai: The financial capital also recorded four new positive cases. All of them had recently returned from abroad and contracted the virus on their way.
Chennai: Two new cases have come to light in this city. A two-year-old returning from Australia was detected in the airport screening and another three-year-old positive case in this city has already been admitted in the hospital.
Karnatka: The state of Krnataka recorded two new cases of a 21-year-old Malaysian student in Mangalore and a 32-year-old man who flew in from the U.S.
Hyderabad: One new case of a 13-year-old girl has been reported in the city. She contracted the virus from a previous positive case.
Jamshedpur: The first positive case of this city was a 21-year-old man that was reported Thursday. The man had returned to Ranchi from UK recently with flu like symptoms.
Punjab: Two new cases of swine flu have been reported in the state of Punjab, one each in Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur.
Gurgaon: The city has reported three fresh cases of H1N1 virus. Of these, two are students who contracted the virus from previously positive cases, while the other is a 31-year-old woman who traveled from abroad recently.
Source:www.themedguru.com
Rida Shaikh, the 14-year-old girl who died of swine flu in Pune, had first contacted a private practitioner. The obvious question after her death is: Are these general practitioners can even the symptoms and diagnose correctly?
Says Kartik, a rikshaw puller, in an interview with a leading news channel, said about his ailing son, “I fear for him as where ever I go, people are talking about swine flu and its symptoms. I did not want to take any chance.” Kartik had brought his 13-year-old son with running fever for a checkup in central Mumbai.
Particularly after the first death reported of 14-year-old Rida in Pune, common complaints like fever and sore throat have given sleepless nights to the parents.
Dwindling public faith in government hospitals
Physicians, despite the government’s assurances of adequate facilities in government hospitals, are hesitating to send parents to designated hospitals if they suspect their kids suffering from swine flu.
Says private practitioner Dr. D K Chaudhary, "Kasturba hospital is like a dharamshala. There is no proper management, doctor or treatment."
Ironically, the state government is now turning to such private practitioners to help curb the spread of the lethal disease and to help spread awareness.
Assistant director of Health, Govt of Maharashtra, Dr. Ravindra Katti said, "We have now been requesting private practitioners to help distinguish between and swine flu and other cases of common flu."
But various doctors and physicians stress that it is difficult to distinguish between H1N1 and other flues. They prefer to wait and watch if the antibiotics are working or not, which means the crucial time gets wasted.
Fresh update on the flu cases
New cases of H1N1 influenza have been confirmed across the country of late. At the last count, the number crossed 600 as 22 fresh cases were reported on Thursday.
Pune: The city of Pune has reported nine new cases, which includes four school students who contracted the virus from previous positive cases.
Delhi: Five new cases have been reported in the capital. Of these, four contracted the virus from previous positive cases and the fifth case is that of a 19-year-old girl who returned to India from Singapore.
Mumbai: The financial capital also recorded four new positive cases. All of them had recently returned from abroad and contracted the virus on their way.
Chennai: Two new cases have come to light in this city. A two-year-old returning from Australia was detected in the airport screening and another three-year-old positive case in this city has already been admitted in the hospital.
Karnatka: The state of Krnataka recorded two new cases of a 21-year-old Malaysian student in Mangalore and a 32-year-old man who flew in from the U.S.
Hyderabad: One new case of a 13-year-old girl has been reported in the city. She contracted the virus from a previous positive case.
Jamshedpur: The first positive case of this city was a 21-year-old man that was reported Thursday. The man had returned to Ranchi from UK recently with flu like symptoms.
Punjab: Two new cases of swine flu have been reported in the state of Punjab, one each in Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur.
Gurgaon: The city has reported three fresh cases of H1N1 virus. Of these, two are students who contracted the virus from previously positive cases, while the other is a 31-year-old woman who traveled from abroad recently.
Source:www.themedguru.com
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