New Delhi: More than eight persons have been infected everyday by the dreaded swine flu disease this year across the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. The states which run across a contiguous belt from central to the southern regions of India have reported 920 cases of persons infected by the influenza-A H1N1, which has also claimed 57 deaths up to April 18 this year. Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad told the parliament during the budget session that “an advisory has been sent to all States and UTs to gear up the state machinery for screening and isolation facilities including critical care”. Azad's directions also instruct state governments to follow guidelines on triage, categorization and testing of patients. Currently 45 laboratories in India have the capability to test H1N1 samples and treat patients with Oseltamivir, a critical antiviral drug. The highest number of cases were recorded in the western Indian state of Maharashtra with 463 cases and 20 deaths, with Andhra Pradesh coming in second at 112 cases, which includes 12 deaths. After calling the initial cases of swine flu as “isolated”, the government has now classified the H1N1 occurrences as a pandemic.
900 plus swine flu cases have been reported in India up to April this year
