12 more cases,Bangalore shifts gear

The Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department held meetings on Monday with representatives of private hospitals enlisted to support efforts to tackle H1N1....

The Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department held meetings on Monday with representatives of private hospitals enlisted to support efforts to tackle H1N1,as 12 more people tested positive for the virus in the city.

A total of 85 people are undergoing treatment in different city hospitals while 83 have been discharged after recovering over the past one month. The official death toll so far stands at five.

All deaths reported in Bangalore till Sunday have been linked to a combination of delayed diagnosis and immunity compromising pre-dispositions like respiratory problems or diabetes. Four of the deceased were in their late 20s. The fifth death has been that of a 55-year-old.

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According to virologist Dr V Ravi from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences,whose lab is carrying out H1N1 tests,the virus is currently in a secondary infection phase since people who have not travelled abroad are being infected. The main government facility in Bangalore,the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases,reported a reduction in the flow of patients on Monday.

At meetings with representatives of 79 private hospitals,the Health and Family Welfare Department officials advised them against drawing the samples of everyone who comes with complaints of the flu.