17 February 2015 | News | By BioSpectrum Bureau
Nearly 100 Indians die of swine flu in 3 days
Many hospitals in the country are facing shortage of protective equipments and diagnostic kits
Singapore: A deadly swine flu outbreak is sweeping through India killing another 100 people in three days, raising the death toll to 585. Nearly 8,423 people have been infected by the virus. Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra are the worst-affected states with respective tolls standing at 165, 144, 76 and 58, official figures said.
Many hospitals in the country are facing shortage of protective equipments and diagnostic kits. The health ministry has sent central teams to worst affected areas to analyze the situation and take appropriate measures to tackle the outbreak.
"The government has already placed an order for enhancing stocks of diagnostic kits - for testing of the H1N1 virus - to be supplied to the lab network under Integrated Disease Surveillance Program. To enhance the level of preparedness, additional stocks of the drug, Oseltamivir, and 10,000 N-95 masks are also being procured," an official statement said.
Though, Delhi and Tamil Nadu reported a high incidence of cases, the death toll in the two states is relatively low due to more awareness and a better developed health sector.