August 1, 2009 3:41:13 am
Five more have tested positive for H1N1 virus on Friday while 15 students from Panchgani were detected with swine flu. The National Institute of Virology (NIV) received samples of throat swabs from 14 suspected patients with swine flu symptoms and five have tested positive for the virus today,Dr M S Chadda,Deputy Director,NIV said.
S Devnikar,additional municipal commissioner said their coordination committee will continue to follow the existing policy of requesting the schools to remain shut till they decide further. Two students from Vidya Valley School,one from Springdale,one from Vikhe Patil School and a three-year-old,who had returned from the US,have tested positive for the virus,said Dr R R Pardeshi,Chief Medical Officer,Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). Of the 15 in Panchgani,two have been admitted to Naidu Hospital.
Chadda said five laboratories in the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) network in Delhi,Chennai,Dibrugarh,Kolkata and Vellore have now started testing samples of suspected cases of swine flu. The reports are sent both to the NIV and to the respective state governments,she said. So far,more than 1,100 samples have been tested.
According to Dr V S Mohite,Satara district health officer,three more students from Mahatme Phule Municipal School and one student from Happy Hours School at Panchgani have been detected with the swine flu. The total number of students infected with the virus in Panchgani are 23. Dr A C Mishra,Director of NIV said their team is stationed there and collecting samples. This is an air borne infection and the cases are going to increase,points out Sharvari Gokhale,Additional Chief Secretary,Maharashtra state and has urged the school authorities to insist on good hygienic practices like washing hands and each child carrying their own napkins.
Best of Express Premium
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
