City techie infects seven with swine flu

The health department’s worst fear concerning the spread of swine flu came true on Monday with the city reporting its first major case
of ‘cluster formation’. As many as seven persons contracted the infection from a 29-year-old software professional who returned from Houston by Qatar Airlines on July 5 and tested positive for the virus on July 11. He passed on the infection to his room-mates and colleagues resulting in the formation of a local cluster.

Employees of the IT firm in Madhapur where the techie works (which had four cases in all) were put under medication and the office remained closed on Monday. The employees of the two other companies where two of his infected friends work were also put under medication. Officials said the human resources departments of the companies had been contacted and the process was on to give profilaxis treatment. Of the remaining two infected cases, one is a student and another is looking for a job.

The techie had come to Hyderbad from Houston on July 5 but developed symptoms
only on July 7. However, he did not consider going to hospital not realising the infection he was carrying could be swine flu. He finally visited a private practitioner who advised him to go to the AP General & Chest Hospital. “In between July 7 and 9, he went to his workplace and also met friends. Out of the nine persons he had met, seven tested positive and one tested negative. Report of one more suspect is awaited,” H1N1 influenza nodal centre coordinator Dr K Subhakar said. Authorities rued that the first-ever ‘cluster’ was due to the callous attitude of a literate. They said most educated people were not taking seriously the health
screening form, which has all the details and contact numbers if they developed any swine flu symptoms.