Intro:
There has been a sudden spike in H1N1 cases in India. With over 600 deaths so far, 12000 cases have been registered till July this year.
This is a significant increase from last year- when swine flu claimed 265 lives.
Our India correspondent Neha Poonia reports from New Delhi on steps being taken to combat this.
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VO:
Influenza is a common sickness during the Indian monsoon- but this year, apart from chikungunya and dengue, health officials are also dealing with a swine flu resurgence.
And with over 600 deaths in 6 months, diagnostician Dr Navin Dang says people are panicking.
Dr. Navin Dang, Diagnostician
Number of cases have definitely increased in the last few weeks. Till about a month back we were not getting any patients at all. In the last one month, initially we started getting an occasional patient, then it became a trickle. Now we are getting requests from about 15-20 patients a day. Not to say all are coming out to be positive, but the fear is there in the minds of the people.
VO:
The Indian government has said it is closely monitoring the influenza outbreak and has stepped up the supply of the swine flu drug- Tamiflu- at all licensed pharmacies. Before July, only government approved pharmacies could stock and sell the drug.
Physicians claim that the large number of deaths indicates a more virulent, undetected strain of the virus. Swine flu is more prevalent during the winters and after the monsoon and because of this Dr Rakesh Gupta claims this year, the system was caught unawares.
Dr. Rakesh Gupta, Physician, Apollo Hospital
The mutations keep on changing and the diagnosis is not so easy. When there is a lull period, we don't habour the suspicion of swine flu but the minute one case is identified, we become more alert.
VO:
What makes India more susceptible to this communicable disease is the sheer size of the population. With everyone moving in such close quarters at all times, it's very easy for the disease to spread. But there is a way out
Doctors say a regular flu vaccine can protect most people from swine flu. It costs about 7 US dollars. What's alarming for many about the H1N1 outbreak this year is that almost 40% of the deaths are among healthy people- those aged between 20-50 years.
The immediate goal now is to contain the spread of the virus- to ensure this doesn't become the pandemic of 2009 when over a 1000 people lost their lives.
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