Ready for the second coming with more screening centres

Health teams will be in touch with school authorities and monitor students when they return from the Diwali vacation. Officials said that during holidays,a number of students go out of town,come into contact with various people,and run a risk of getting infected. Schools will be given a protocol on how to deal with students with symptoms; they must be advised to stay home.

In an analysis of the 12 deaths due to swine flu,it was observed that none of the victims had been given Tamiflu till after 72 hours. Those who recovered even after testing positive had started the course within 48 hours. Also,in cases where H1N1 was detected late,people given Tamiflu within 36 hours of the symptoms showing were eventually put on ventilator support or died,state health officials said. Moreover,patients on ventilators who had been shifted between hospitals did not survive. Six persons are on ventilators in Mumbai as of today.

Health officials held a workshop with members of the Indian Medical Council (IMC) to help identify cases and refer them to centres for treatment. Workshops will be held across the state by the IMC. A CD of symptoms has been circulated within the IMC,a large community of private practitioners.