Preparation made to tackle swine flu threat

District Health Department of City District Government Lahore is fully aware about its responsibility about the impending threat of swine flu epidemic. EDO Health Dr Umer Farooq Balouch expressed these views while addressing a workshop here on Saturday.
He said his department has started trainings at District Health Development Center Lahore (DHDC) to the healthcare providers to identify suspected cases and manage accordingly. Hospitals under EDO (Health) are also directed to take measures to treat the patients as per WHO Protocol, he added.
Programme Director of DHDC Dr Zia Ud Din said there is no vaccine that is available for protecting the masses against swine flu and the best way is to protect oneself by these measures: wash hands thoroughly by warm water and soap after coughing or greeting a person infected with swine flu; use disposable tissues when coughing; and use masks in crowded areas, including airplanes and trains.
It may be mentioned that Swine flu is a respiratory disease occurring in pigs. It is caused by H1N1 virus, which is capable of causing high rates of the disease among pigs, but with few deaths. H1N1 infects pigs throughout the year, with high rates of spreading occurring in autumn and winter. It may also cause seasonal infections among humans. Similar to the seasonal flu, the symptoms of swine flu in humans include fever, lethargy, decreased appetite, and coughing. In other cases, the symptoms may include running nose, throat inflammation, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Diagnosis is made on a sample of sputum. The disease must be diagnosed within 3-4 days of infection, but in some cases of children, the incubation period is longer (about 10 days). Four drugs are used in swine flu treatments, Oseltamivir, Rimantadine, Amantadine, and Zanaivir, though 4 viruses show resistance to Rimantadine, and Amantadine. Oseltamivir and Zanaivir are recommended in such cases. Vaccines for preventing infections in pigs are available, though no vaccine has yet been developed for protecting humans. The seasonal flu vaccine may provide partial protection against H3N2, but not against H1N1.