In the wake of H1N1 influenza of swine flu cases being reported from some States, including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Telangana, the Health Ministry has asked all States to submit a status report by October 10 on their preparedness to tackle the virus.

The advisory was issued to all States after the Minister for Health & Family Welfare, JP Nadda, held a high-level meeting of senior Ministry officers, Indian Council of Medical Research, and representatives from States such as Goa, Kerala, Telangana, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh recently.

“The States are advised to ensure that they have the required and adequate quantities of stock of drug Oseltamivir, viral diagnostic kit, viral transport media, personal protective equipment and N-95 masks, at different levels in the healthcare system,” an official statement said on Wednesday.

Isolation facilities

State governments have also been requested to ensure that sufficient isolation facilities are available and functional to manage critical respiratory emergencies and have been asked to give emphasis on “timely vaccination against Influenza A H1N1.” 

Also, State governments have been urged to ensure adequate epidemiological surveillance to immediately detect clustering of influenza-like illnesses along with requisite laboratory preparedness to test the clinical samples.

Training and re-training workshops can be held for doctors to reiterate guidelines on patient categorisation, clinical treatment and ventilatory management protocols available on the Ministry’s website, the statement added.

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