A serological survey on swine flu antibodies is currently underway to determine the prospects of Pune developing "herd immunity" to the dreaded virus.

As it continues to reel under the pandemic that has claimed 102 lives in the last three months, the city would be looking eagerly at the findings of the survey being jointly undertaken by National Institute of Virology (NIV) and Indian Medical Association (IMA) here on November 27/28.

In fact, the exercise would mark the second phase of the experiment in which one thousand doctors drawn from a segment having greater exposure to H1N1 infected patients --- are to be covered with extraction of 3ml blood to test presence of antibodies of the virus, Dilip Sarda, Chairman of Pune chapter of IMA said. He said an initial survey conducted on similar lines about two and a half months back, had indicated a marginal --- 10-12 per cent--- presence of H1N1 antibodies in the blood samples of the subjects having sub-clinical infection.

The survey which aims at ascertaining the percentage of population which has over a period of time developed H1N1 antibodies assumes significance in the context of "herd immunity" that can arrest the pandemic in the city which has emerged as the focal point of swine flu casualties, the first one being on August 3.

Sarda said the use of term "herd immunity" would be meaningful and could have relevance only if 50-70 per cent of the population is estimated to have developed antibodies to the virus, denoting natural resistance.

... contd.