Wednesday, 14 March 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
In view of the spurt in the cases of the seasonal influenza and its subtype H3N2 the State Health department has come into an active mode. The department has issued a directive to all the district magistrates on preventive steps to be taken for checking the spread of this disease. In a letter the additional secretary Amandeep Kaur has said that intensive monitoring of the Influenza like illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) should be done so that the influenza outbreak is prevented. She said every patient of these diseases should be registered on the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) portal. It suggested that personal hygiene should be maintained to prevent the spread of Influenza.
The advisory stresses that people should cover their faces while sneezing and use masks at crowded places. The order directs that hospitals should set up isolation wards for seasonal influenza patients and shift the patients to ICU and ventilators when required.
Though the Health department has come into an alert mode it maintains that there is no need to get worried or come into a panic mode on the spread of this disease since it is similar to common cold and is not fatal.
The influenza A subtype H3N2 is a major cause of current respiratory illness in the country in the last two months. In its recent report the Union Health ministry had mentioned that surveillance data from December 15 till date reflects the rise in the number of cases of H3N influenza virus. It points out that about half of all in-patients of SARI and out-patients of influenza like illness were found to have influenza A, H3N2.
The advisory says that the symptomatic people should wear masks and avoid crowded places, take plenty of fluids, avoid touching eyes and nose and take paracetamol for fever and headache.
