Among the children who tested positive for the H1N1 virus on Wednesday, two, both 10 months old, from Nagpada and Andheri had to be admitted to different hospitals. The remaining five, including a three-month infant from Versova and four kids under 10 years from Goregaon, Mahalaxmi and Kandivli, were treated as outpatients. Around 17% of the H1N1-hit this year are very young children.
All the children are stable and doing well. Currently, seven adult patients are critical and on ventilator. Only two are Mumbai residents, the rest have come from outside for treatment," said BMC epidemiologist Dr Mangala Gomare. There has been a spurt in cases as compared to last year, she added. Around 47 cases have been reported so far in the city, a majority of which were diagnosed in February.
On Wednesday, officials from the Union health ministry along with the Directorate General Health Services (DGHS) met heads of hospitals and research institutions in New Delhi to review the H1N1 situation. It came out with a recommendation that all healthcare workers directly involved in the treatment of swine flu patients should be vaccinated. "They are in direct proximity of patients and have very high chances of getting the infection. We have asked state governments to purchase vaccines, readily available in the market. We will provide financial help if states want," said Dr Jagdish Prasad, director general of DGHS. So far, over 400 lives have been lost to the virus in a span of 42 days.
Mumbai's satellite cities too have been reporting an upsurge in cases. A 29-year-old woman from Belapur, along with her mother, tested positive in a Vashi hospital. They have been home quarantined.
The state authorities claimed that they have started immunizing their health workers. "Around 40 healthcare workers in Nagpur have been vaccinated. We have also asked the BMC to immunize doctors and staffers at Kasturba Hospital," said public health minister Dr Deepak Sawant.
But the health community is not upbeat about vaccination. "Many doubt its efficacy given that the infection is already in community and they may have developed immunity already," said Gomare. Paediatric infectious disease consultant at Kokilaben Hospital Dr Tanu Singhal believes a vaccine may not be very effective against the circulating strain. "The vaccine in market is based on last year's strain. An antigenic shift is likely this year as the outbreak suggests," she said. Dr Om Srivastava from Jaslok Hospital however recommends vaccine for the immuno-compromised and pregnant women.
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source: TOI
