People throng Chest Hospital

Long queues, heated exchange of words and anxiety ridden persons flocking to the A.P. Government General and Chest Hospital was on witness on Tuesday as the swine flu scare continued to keep the city in its grip. While the number of those coming for screening kept swelling, worried relatives of those already admitted stayed put in the hospital campus waiting for results of the screening.

Today, two more persons including one who had travelled to the city from Pune had tested positive for A (H1N1) influenza prompting authorities to decide on widening the screening network. Steps were being initiated for what has been descried as ‘passive screening’ at the bus and railway stations for passengers arriving from other places to the city.
Allegations

“My sister had fever and was admitted here yesterday but they neither started any treatment nor took blood samples,” said Sanket R. Jadhav, who rushed from Nasik. Accompanied by his mother, he paced around nervously and complained bitterly, “They have not even given basic treatment for her high fever”.

Kamaraju was also sore at the way the status on his 13-year-old daughter admitted on Friday night was not yet known. “They took samples but results have not come. The poor child is quarantined and it is as if she is serving prison sentence,” he bemoaned. The State Coordinator for swine flu, K. Subhakar however denied that the patients were not being taken care of at the hospital and that enough facilities were made for a quick check. “Indeed some reports were delayed at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) and even we are eagerly waiting for them,” he said.

Since a positive case was reported among those who travelled from Pune, the authorities took a decision on ‘passive screening’ at the bus and railway stations. The Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM) would also be ready to handle the screening of samples in a week’s time and the authorities are looking at roping in the services of private laboratories .

So far, 76 positive cases were reported in the city and Dr. Subhakar added that 73 were treated and sent home while the other three were undergoing treatment at the hospital.
YSR convenes meeting

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddyconvened a high level meeting on Wednesday to dicuss about steps to prevent the spread of the virus.