AS PER general trend, swine flu strikes the region every alternate year. In 2022, Nagpur witnessed 371 cases of swine flu which resulted in the death of 22 people. Last year, 79 came positive for the disease and one death was reported. This year till now, 62 people have tested positive for swine flu. According to experts, the number may go up and swine flu wave can a reality. In January, six people came positive for swine flu; in February 8 people were positive and in March, 11 came back positive.

 

The number of patients of swine flu reduced in April, May and June with two each. The reason lies in the humid atmosphere when swine flu hardly troubles human beings. In July, the number went up to 18 while by August 13, the cases of swine flu of this month reached 13. Dr Govardhan Navkhare, Health Officer with Nagpur Municipal Corporation told ‘The Hitavada’, “We are doing house to house survey in affected houses and nearby areas.We are also doing contact tracing, fever survey and identifying Influenza like illness (ILI). On various public forums, we are trying to make people aware of the disease.” Dr Utkarsh Shah, noted Critical Care Specialist with Arihant Hospital said, “People should not get panicked with the thought of spread of swine flu. But they should take care Contd from page 1 of themselves while moving in crowded place. Now that the festive season is coming and markets are full of people, one can come across swine flu-infected people. Everyone should wear mask, carry sanitisers, see to it that they should keep themselves safe. Personal care carries a lot of importance.”

 

Dengue, chikungunya too haunting people THE Health Department reported 73 cases of dengue from January to August this year with 952 suspected cases. Fortunately, nobody died of dengue. In July and August this year, city recorded maximum cases of dengue, 30 and 22 respectively. The 22 cases of dengue reported in August are upto 12th of the month. It means the cases may increase. No patient of dengue were found in January. From February, Nagpur started witnessing cases of dengue. In February, 6 people were found suffering with dengue. The number of patients was fluctuating till July. In case of chikungunya, no case was reported till May this year. In June, suddenly, 30 people were found suffering from chikungunya. In July, the number doubled up to 88. In August till August 12, the number of people suffering from this dreaded disease reached 92. In only three months, the number crossed 200 mark while suspected cases reached 926 combining the number of cases of last three months only. In case of chikungunya also, no death was reported till now. Dr Iran Noormohammad, President of Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine (ISCCM), Nagpur branch said, “I feel the civic body is taking a lot of efforts to curb the menace of these two diseases. At the same time, people should keep the premises clean. They should take immediate measures if they suffer from any symptoms. Early detection can be the solution to further complications. Water intake should be proper as it helps in recovering.”