Swine flu surfaces in Coimbatore
Swine flu has surfaced in the city for the first time this year with two people testing positive for the infection on Sunday. They are undergoing treatment in a private hospital at Peelamedu.
A health official with the city corporation said both the infected were elderly people – a 63-year-old woman from RS Puram and another 68-year-old woman from Peelamedu.
“They are not related and hail from different parts of the city.” The official said the two had symptoms similar to Covid-19 and approached the private hospital for Covid-19 testing. While they tested negative for Covid-19, they were found to be infected with swine flu.
The official said the family members and contacts of the infected people were being closely monitored. “Presently, Tamiflu tablets are being distributed to the people who came in contact and the family members of the infected. We have asked them to stay in isolation.”
Swine Flu is none other than a human respiratory infection caused by an influenza strain that started in pigs. It was first recognised in the 1919 pandemic and still circulates as a seasonal flu virus. Swine flu is caused by the H1N1 virus strain, which started in pigs.
Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, chills, weakness and body aches. Children, pregnant women and the elderly are at risk from severe infection. The official said 64 medical camps were being conducted daily in the city limits by the urban primary health centres to monitor dengue, Covid-19 and swine flu cases.
He also said there was no need to panic. He, however, advised the residents to follow precautionary measures. “People have to wash hands frequently, wear face masks, disinfect floors and avoid touching surfaces often. The swine flu symptoms are similar to that of Covid-19. People have to isolate themselves immediately if they develop symptoms. They have to be in isolation until they test negative for the infectious diseases.”
Swine flu-infected people, he said, could recover without any complications. “However, it can, as in the case of Covid-19, create complications for the people with comorbidities.”
City corporation commissioner Raja Gopal Sunkara, meanwhile, asked the people to keep their houses and surroundings clean, to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. “People should approach medical camps or the nearest government hospital if they have any symptoms like fever, cough and headache.”
Cleanliness is the major thing to save ourselves from various diseases.
Meena
Read, Cow not giving milk: Bizarre complaint to police in Madhya Pradesh on yourcoimbatore.com
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