Hospitals with over 50 beds can treat swine flu: Delhi health department

Also, acting on the directions of Health Minister Satyendra Jain, the department has begun broadcasting public health messages on the radio, in public places and in Metro stations, cautioning people against over-testing for swine flu.

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“The virus has now become part of seasonal influenza cycles. Despite issuing guidelines to labs to test only Category C patients — who have warning symptoms indicating lower respiratory problems with no underlying co-morbid conditions — we are still getting reports of over-testing which is spreading a lot of panic. So we are trying to address this through the messages, explaining who should get tested and when,” a senior Health department official said.

Officials said other components of the messages include measures to prevent the disease, including maintaining personal hygiene, and symptoms to watch out for before testing or consulting a doctor.

Category A includes patients who display routine influenza symptoms. According to Union Ministry guidelines, they do not have to be tested or treated for swine flu. Category B patients includes those who have pre-existing diseases — termed as co-morbid conditions like hypertension, diabetes or cancer — and pregnant women. They should be treated for swine flu and given Oseltamivir, but need not be tested.

Meanwhile, with the Health department issuing spot licences last week for Schedule X drugs to 40 chemists around hospitals with high footfall, many chemists still reported a shortage of Tamiflu syrup.

Officials, however, maintained that all government hospitals had been given stocks of both tablets and syrups of the drug.

With 96 more patients testing positive for swine flu on Monday, the number of total diagnosed cases since January 1 has risen to 2,337. Nine patients have died of the virus.