The Delhi government is getting into battle mode to deal with a pandemic situation if such a situation were to arise,after two people tested positive for swine flu in the city. Health Secretary J P Singh has directed Medical Superintendents of all hospitals in the Capital to be ready to handle cases of H1N1 influenza. Private hospitals have also been directed to notify the government when patients come in with symptoms similar to the H1N1 flu. The government is looking to rope in and train people from voluntary organisations as it would require more hands if more cases are reported from the city. Both patients,who tested positive for swine flu,are being quarantined in a farmhouse at Rajokri near Palam Airport. As the government looks at the idea of home quarantine if the number of cases increase,non-governmental organisations like Care India and Sphere are ready to pitch in for pandemic preparedness. The good news is that a fair number of NGOs have expressed interest in participating. We are hoping a situation where cases spiral out of control does not arise. State-level preparedness is aimed at keeping business continuity and ensuring communication or industry are not affected in any which way. That is why we might need help from citizens and volunteers if need be. We want them trained so that the process is smooth, Lieutenant General (Dr) J R Bhardwaj,member of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA),said. The governments pandemic preparedness plan details the community-level action required if there is a pandemic. The public will have to quarantine patients in their houses. We have explained voluntary domiciliary quarantine - in which families will have to keep the patient(s) isolated in order to check the spread of infection. Creating awareness about food,water and medicines is also a big part of the plan, Bhardwaj said. The state government is also looking at the possibility of closing down shopping malls,theatres,schools and requesting employees to work from home if the influenza is declared a Level-6 pandemic. The governments efforts will shift from surveillance,detection and quarantine to containment,treatment and continuity of businesses in that scenario,Bhardwaj said.
