Do not panic

H1N1 is not a death sentence: Manipal Hospital

Patient's relatives, Government of Karnataka, BBMP and Manipal Hospital request Bangaloreans not to be fearful.
Life is here to stay, H1N1 is NOT. This is the message that the parents of children who have been successfully treated of Swine Flu at Manipal Hospital want to convey to everyone. At a function organized by Manipal Hospital and Government of Karnataka, along with Bruhat Bangalore Municipal Corporation (BBMP], parents of the affected children spoke on their experiences with the disease and how timely intervention saved lives. However, they had a word of advice as well - Don't Panic.
The children were infected with the H1N1 virus recently and brought to Manipal Hospital. The symptoms are very similar to that of any ordinary flu and the timely differentiation of the symptoms by the doctors resulted in curing the children.
"When I realized that my child had been infected with the virus, I was scared. But now, after the treatment, I am convinced that it is not incurable. Hence I would advice everyone not to panic, and have faith in the medical system/' said Mr. Clarence D Souza, parent of a cured child.
There are fix to six clear symptoms that one has to monitor and these are available on the net. There's still a lot of ignorance among people, due to the panic people who deserve medication early are not able to get it. Said Mrs. Dhanya Jairaj, mother of Bharat Jairaj, 11 year old student National Public school HSR Layout, who was admitted to Manipal Hospital and tested positive by and was diagnosed Dr. Karthik. Bharat has a history of wheezing problem, when he started showing symptoms like breathlessness and high fever, Dahnya suspected it could be HINI.
Later his samples were sent to Nimhans on August 8 and after tests were conducted, she was put on Tamiflu tablets immediately. Since he had respiratory problems already, he had to be admitted to the Intensive Care Unit for two days. He has recovered completely and will go back to school from next week onwards. He now says that parents should understand it is just a new virus. There is no need to worry about the children who have been affected and panic.
Another parent who preferred not to mention his name said that his two sons 6 and 9 year old were infected. However he never got the infection from though he was with them almost all the time.
"After we got them tested I was sure they wouldn't test positive. But one Saturday afternoon, I received a call from RGICD that they had tested positive. I panicked and did not know what to do, and we were advised to see Dr. Karthik Nagesh of Manipal Hospital. Within five days my two sons were discharged after treatment.
CEO, Manipal hospital, R Basil said more than 2,000 people have been treated at Manipal, out of which 83 cases were suspected but only nine tested positive. And the Tamiflu was administered to 93 patients.
"Every organization in the state - including a majority of private hospitals and public organizations like RGICD and NIMHANS are doing their best to take care of the patients infected with the H1N1 virus. Our request to the people is not to panic and believe that we will take care of them. This is a time for united action, not fear," said Mr. Basil.
Through this event, the Government of Karnataka and Manipal Hospital wanted to stress the fact that H1N1 is as curable as any other flu; only proper hygiene and precautions should be maintained instead of creating a panic. Mr. B. Sriramulu, Minister of Health, Mr. IR Perumal, Principal Secretary (Health & Family Welfare), Mr. Srinivas Acharya, Commissioner, Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of Karnataka, and Mr. Bharat Lai Meena, Commissioner, BBMP, were present along with Mr. R Basil, CEO, and Dr. Nagendra Swamy, Medical Director, and Dr Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman of the Medical Advisory Board, Manipal Health Systems.

H1N1 is a new sub type of influenza virus which transmits by droplet infection and fomites. The incubation period for the bacteria is about 1-7 days. If illness persists for more than 7 days, chances of communicability may persist till resolution of illness. Important clinical features of swine influenza include fever, and upper respiratory symptoms such as cough and sore throat. Head ache, body ache, fatigue, diarrhea and vomiting have also been observed.
Confirmation of influenza A (H1N1) swine origin infection is done at government designated laboratories. After suspecting the presence of virus, specimen should be collected within 3 days of onset of illness and no later than 5 days after onset of symptoms.
Dr Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman of the Medical Advisory Board, Manipal Health Systems. said that government had taken a proactive step by involving private hospitals at an early stage. "We don't know this guy (HINI), now we have started knowing him and will soon be friends with him," he remarked lightly. He also said that the R&D is going on about bringing a preventive Vaccine which could see the light of day by October or November.
Addressing the media Minister Sriramulu said that at present swab tests are done only at government institutions. It had been causing a delay in diagnosis. However, many private hospital have come to do the testing, the state government would recommend them to the Centre which has been vested with the power to sanction the required permission.