Swine flu reaches Nagaland; 1 tested positive
Source: Hueiyen News Service / NNN

Dimapur, February 18 2015: Nagaland Health Department's surveillance network on Tuesday confirmed that a case of H1N1 flu (also called swine flu) has been detected in the state.

State Nodal Officer for Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), Dr.Tiasunup Pongener informed that throat/nasal swabs from a suspected case, a young Naga woman, which were sent to the Regional Medical Research Centre, Dibrugarh had tested positive.

The patient is said to have travelled extensively in the past week and had had typical flu symptoms for several days.

It was revealed that she has also travelled by flight from Kolkata to Dimapur on February 13 .

Although the patient's condition is reported to be stable, the department has put up an alert and advised all the passengers who flew from Kolkata to Dimapur on the same day to seek timely medical attention from any district hospital if they develop high fever with cough and cold within a week's time.

Dr.Pongener said that it was good as the patient sought medical help on time, but on the other hand he expresses apprehension that a single confirmed case could create a fear psychosis in the minds of the public.

"This is an imported case, and the patient has been kept in isolation from the day she was admitted to the hospital� She is now in a stable condition," he said.

He asserted that H1N1 flu is like any other flu but the virus is more virulent, and the patients will have higher fever and experience breathlessness.

The most important step is to isolate the patient, he added.

"Timely medical help for any illness is necessary� If anyone gets any flu-like symptoms, avoid self medication and go to a doctor," the medical official stressed, pointing out that many people have the habit of treating themselves with over-the-counter drugs.

Meanwhile, State Surveillance Officer IDSP, Dr.John Kemp has reassured that a surveillance network has already been established in the past to check epidemic potential diseases.

He also informed that during the 2009 swine flu epidemic, out of about 30 samples sent out from Nagaland, only one had tested positive.

It was learnt that state's top medical officials held a hurriedly convened emergency meeting on H1N1 this afternoon to discuss steps to tackle the situation if there is an outbreak.

Immediate procurement of antiviral drug to counter H1N1 flu from the central government and proposal to the government for logistics support and contingency fund were said to have been discussed at the meeting.

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