H1N1: NIV dairector for simple masks

“There is no need to wear N-95 masks or constantly wear masks unless one is in crowded public places,” he said.

Mishra gave an account of the global spread and travel of the H1N1 virus in the last century.

“There were three major pandemics. However,the 1918 pandemic was the most severe – 50-100 million people died. There is a careful monitoring of any possible mutation of the swine flu virus,” he added.

The meeting also discussed pregnancy and swine flu. Dr Sanjeev Khurd,president of the Pune Obstetric and Gynaecological Society,said it was important to administer Tamiflu tablets within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms in a pregnant woman. Besides a runny nose,a patient with swine flu infection can have throat pain,high fever and cough while some may also have vomiting. Dr Shirish Sheth gave a talk on hysterectomy while other specialists tackled subjects ranging from menarche to menopause.

Meanwhile according to health officials,a total of 19 swine flu patients are in the Intensive Care Units of various hospitals while seven are on artificial ventilation. A total of 6,282 people were screened for swine flu in the district and 969 people with symptoms were given Tamiflu.