So far, barely samples of hospitalized and critically ill patients were tested for the H1N1 virus (Swine Flu). However, with 4350 cases and 449 deaths were reported across the state, private laboratories made a strong case for making such tests available to nonhospitalized patients with suspected H1N1 symptoms on Wednesday.

Firstly, Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV) was the only laboratory, which was testing throat swab samples to confirm the H1N1 virus.

An Over 10% swine flu patients dying in the state is an alarming figure. Government and private authorities need to put their heads together, conduct detailed death audit, which includes parameters like when did the patient first consult a doctor if he was put on anti-viral drug Oseltamivir right away, whether the treatment was delayed; if yes. by how many days, patients with which co-morbidities are more vulnerable to complications, etc.

This study can equip doctors and administration to significantly reduce mortalities by enforcing changes in approach to dealing with swine flu. However, with the increasing number of patients, the state designated 23 laboratories such as SRL, Golwilkar, among others, to perform the tests.

According to the government rules, the samples of ‘C’ category patients, who were critical and hospitalized, were required to be tested. A few days ago, laboratories under Bombay and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations also started testing samples that were referred by clinicians to patients showing H1N1 symptoms.

In tropical countries like India, Influenza is known to have two major spikes – during monsoon, due to the hot and humid environment, and winter. Gujarat is currently witnessing a swine flu outbreak with significant morbidity and mortality. Since 2009, there have been sizeable awareness drives.

What needs drilling in among stakeholders is that doctors should prescribe antiviral therapy as soon as they spot flu symptoms, and get over the reflexive antibiotic prescription regime. Dr. M S Diggikar, acting joint director of health who was present at the meeting, said, earlier, there were restrictions on the availability of these tests for other category patients.

“Now, based on the clinicians’ strong suspicion of the H1N1 virus, he or she can recommend that the sample can be tested at a state designated lab. There are eight such laboratories performing these tests in Pune. Laboratories, however, have admitted that they exercised restraint in providing these tests for the category of patients other than those recommended by the government. Today’s meeting urged that there was a need to provide these tests for persons who had H1N1 symptoms but were not hospitalized,” she said.

NIV validates the commercially available test kit and provided to the laboratories to conduct tests to confirm or rule out the presence of the H1N1 virus. Labs also urged the state to bring down the rate of the test, which is approximately Rs 5,200.

“As many as 718 cases of dengue have been detected since January with the registration of three deaths, two of which were from Pune. Between January and July, 8,255 cases of malaria have been reported, with a majority of them in Greater Mumbai (2,611) and Gadchiroli (2,539). In the PMC areas, 242 cases of dengue have been found positive and the authorities are conducting several surveys to identify breeding sites,” State health authorities said.

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