Monday, August 10, 2009

Swine flu scare









List of nodal officers and contact details of Control Room


ANDHRA PRADESH
Office of The Addl. Director (Health Services), Hyderabad. 040-24656852(T) [24x7]
Dr Ramswarup [09989923781]
ARUNACHAL PRADESH
SSU IDSP, Directorate of Health Services, Naharlagun, Arunachal Pradesh.
Tel: 0360-2245460 Telefax:: 0360-2244271 (During office hours)
Dr.L.Jampa [09436055743] [24x7]
ASSAM
Office of the Director (Health Services), Guwahati.
0361-2235577 0361-2261630 0361-2261089 [24x7]
Dr Doley 0361-2642008 09854066560
BIHAR
Office of the Executive Director,State Health Society, Sheikhpura, Patna.
0612-2280562
0612-2281232
0612-2290322(F) [24x7]
Mr. Santosh Mathew (IAS)
Dr D K Gupta (Addl.Nodal officer)- 09430057795
Control Room In-charge (Dr BK Singh: 9470003023)
CHHATISHGARH
State Surveillance Unit (IDSP),Directorate Health services,Old Nurses Hostel, DKS Mantralya
Campus,Raipur 0771-2220011 [24x7]
Dr T K Agarwal (Deputy Director, Epidemic)-Nodal officer: 09926624162
Dr S N M Murti (Addl.N.O) 09425564418
GUJARAT
Office of Dy.Director (Epid) Commisionerate of Health Services Block No:5, Dr.Jivaraj Mehta Bhawan, Old Sachivalaya , Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Tel: 079-23253334
Fax: 079-23250818 [24X7]
Dr.S.J.Gandhi [09825342899]

GOA
Call Centre: 0832- 2458458 [24X7]
Dr.Tamba (09822123801)
HIMACHAL PRADESH
IDSP Cell, Directorate of Health Services, Kasumti, Shimla-9
Tel/Fax: 0177-2628046 [ during office hours]
Dr.Vinod Mehta(09418163500) [24x7]
HARYANA
Office of the Director (Health Services),Sector-6, Panchkula 0172-2587346
[During office hours]
Dr.Aparajita Sondh (Nodal Officer)09417931024 [24x7]
JAMMU-KASHMIR
Office of DHS, Srinagar, J& K Tel/Fax. No (0194) 2452697 (main)2452052,2454706,2430141
(24x7)
Dr.M.Ahmed (09419012355) Dr.Bashir Ahmed Dar (Addl.N.O) (09419017716)

JHARKHAND
RIMS, RANCHI
Chamber of Dr. A. K. Mathur (HOD Medicine) (09431176496)
(RIMS acting as Control Room)
Dr C.B Sharma (094311740820
Dr.Pradeep Baski (09431102461)
KERALA
Office of Addl.DHS (Public Health),Near Govt. General Hospital Trivandrum
TF:(0471) 2466828 [24X7]
Dr. Amar 09447451846
KARNATAKA
Office of the Director (Health and Family Welfare),Anand Rao Circle, Bangalore-9
Phone no: 080-1056 [24X7]
Dr.Chelluraj 09901060584 Dr.Vasudev Murthi 09880024329
MAHARASHTRA
Mumbai Room no.137,First Floor,Swasthaya Bhawan,Mumbai. 022-22029070
022-22025830 [24X7]
Dr. Gawande (09420711426)
Pune
Office of the Joint Director (Health Services), Central Building , Pune 020-26124299
[24X7]
Dr. Desai-09822429266 Dr. Suresh Bohatre 09881364656

MEGHALAYA
Office of DHS, Medical Institutions Nokrek Bldg. 3rd Secretariat, Shillong, Meghalaya TF:(0364)2506498 [Office hour only]
Control room no 0364-2505842
Civil hospital Shilling [24x7]
Dr.R.R.Lanong, (09436102763)

MANIPUR
Medical Directorate, Office of DHS, Manipur Room no-23 Lamphelpat Manipur-795004
0385-2411668 (9am-6pm)
Dr Bhubon Chandra [09436021607]
MADHYA PRADESH
State Surveillance Unit, Directorate Health Services, Satpura Bhavan, Bhopal 0755-4094192(TF) [Office hours only]
Dr. B N Chauhan 09826282249
MIZORAM
Civil hospital Aizwal 0389-2322318
102
Dr Sangawalar 0389-2313721
NAGALAND
SSU IDSP, Directorate of Health Services& FW, T.R .Hill, KOHIMA-797001.
Tel:(0370)2245016 [Office hours only]
Dr.Kebichusa (09436000463) [24x7]
ORISSA
State Surveillance Unit, Director of Health Services, Heads of the Department Buildings, Bhubaneshwar.
0674-2390466 (TF)
[24x7] Dr. V. Patnaik
0674-2390466
PUNJAB
Govt. Multispecialty Hospital,Sector-16, Chandigarh.Call Centre:102
Tel:(0172) 2700255 [24x7]
Mr. H.C. Gera (09988212139) (0172)-2740408
RAJASTHAN
Office of the Director (Public Health), Swasthaya Bhawan, Jaipur.
0141-2225624
0141-2224831(F)
[ Mr. R K Meena ,IAS, Principal Sect.(Health)- Nodal Officer

Dr. O P Gupta(Addl.Nodal Officer)-0141-2229858 09829333936
SIKKIM
SSU IDSP, Health & F.W.
Govt. of Sikkim
03592-204199
[Office hours only] Dr.Y.D.Chingappa
(09832079576)
Tel:(03592)204199
TRIPURA
DHS building PN Building,Gurkha Basti,Agartala
Tel/Fax:(0381) 2215879 Dr P Chatterjee (09436120711)
Dr.R.K. Dhar (09436137652)

TAMILNADU
Office of the Director (Public Health &Preventive Medicine),Central Malaria Laboratory,359,Annasalai,Chennai-6
044-24321569 (TF)[24X7]

DR. Elango, DHS,(09940610123)
UTTARAKHAND
Office of DHS, IDSP,107,Chander Nagar, Dehradun
TF: 0135-2721792 0135-2729897[Office Hours only]
Dr.Pankaj Jain(09412969502) [24x7]
UTTAR PRADESH
Swasthaya Bhawan,Luknow
Control Room No-Tel:(0522)2616482
Fax:(0522)2622819
[24X7]
Dr Pyaremohan Srivastava
0522-2629106(TF)
(09415181629)
WEST BENGAL
Chamber of Joint Director (Health Services), Swasthaya Bhawan,Sector-5,GN Block, Kolkata-91
(033)-23571192 [ 10 am to 7 pm on working days] [11 am to 4:30 pm on Saturday and Holidays]
Dr.Bhaskar Bhattacharya,
Jt.DHS 033-23330180 (09831187818)
ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR
G.B.Pant Hospital, Port Blair
Tel:03192-233473
Dr.Abhijit Roy,Dy.Director (H) (09474269315)
T/F: (03192-232797)
CHANDIGARH
Govt. Multispecialty Hospital, Sector-16, Chandigarh. Call Centre:102 Tel:(0172) 2700255
Mr. H.C. Gera (09988212139) (0172)-2740408
DADRA AND NAGAR HAVELI
Office of DHS, Silvassa.
T/F (0260)2642061,2641759 CONTROL ROOM NO- 0260-2642120
Dr.L.M.Patra DHS (09426117593)
DAMAN AND DIU
CHC, Daman.
Tel:(0260)2230080 Fax:(0260)2230570 [24x7]
Dr.B.Hansraj (Daman) (09825142600) Dr.Das (Silvassa)Tel:0260-2642961,26422120
DELHI
DHS Office Tel:22307145(24X7)
Dr.R.P.Vashist (09212222456)
LAKSHADWEEP
Office of DHS, Tel:(04896)262316 [Office hours only]
Dr.B.S.Ashraf (09447297450) Dr.Hanza Koya (DHS)-Addl.N.O.(09496429027)

PUDUCHERRY
Call Centre:(24X7) Tel: (0413)1070 (0413)1077
Dr.G.S.Naidu (09443729783) Tel:(0413)2249357



List of Isolation facilities of the States-Isolation/Critical Care Facility

Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh)
Govt. General and Chest Diseases Hospital, Erragadda , Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
040-23814939
[Dr. Prasad – 9849902995]
Ahmedabad(Gujarat)
Civil Hospital attached to Medical College, Asarwa, Ahmedabad, Gujarat-380016
[Dr. Ancheliah – 09426347531]
Goa
1. Cottage Hospital, Chikalem, Goa
(Isolation Ward) [0832-2540864]
2. Goa Medical College & Hospital,
Panjim, Goa (Critical Care)
[Dr. Suhas- 09011025066]
Srinagar(Jammu & Kashmir)
1. Govt Medical College, Sri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital, Karan Nagar, Srinagar-190010, J&K
[SMHS - Dr. Wasim Qureshi – 09419000231] (both isolation and critical care)

2. Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir
[Prof. Dr Bhukhari 09419000318]

Thiruvanathanapuram(Kerala)
1. General Hospital, Thiruvanathanapuram, Kerala-695025
[Dr. Suresh - 09447030291]
{ Isolation and Critical care}

2. District Hospital, Manjeri; District-Malappuram, Kerala
[ Dr. Ramani – 09447157128,
Krishna – 9388014526] {Isolation}

3. Taluk Head Quarter Hospital, Perumbavoor, Ernakulum District, Kerala-683542 {Isolation}
[Dr. Rosy Sebastian - 09846948926
Dr. Sudha Karan – 9446505990]

Bangalore (Karnataka)
1. Dr. Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases and SDS TB Hospital Hosur Road, Near NIMHANS, Bangalore-29, Karnataka
{Isolation and critical care}
[Dr. S. Buggi - 09448042579
Dr. Nagraj- 09448057093]

Mangalore(Karnataka)

2. District Wenlock Hospital, Mangalore, Karnataka
{Isolation and critical care}
[Dr. Prabhudev- 09480015944
Dr. Jagannath - 09448166113
Fax – 08242445664]
Mumbai (Maharastra)
Kasturba Hospital, Sane Guruji Marg, Mumbai-11,Maharastara
{Isolation and critical care}
[Dr. Umesh Aigal – 09820935680,
022-23083901, 02,03,04]
Pune(Maharastra)
Dr. Naidu Infectious Disease Hospital,
Pune, Maharastra
{Isolation and critical care}
[Dr. Barathe – 09923130909]
Nagpur(Maharastra)
Govt Medical College and Hospital, Nagpur,Maharastara-444003
{Isolation and critical care}
Swine Flu Ward: 0712-2750730
[GMC- MS -0712- 2750427, 2749311,
Dr. Khade- 09422139720]
Amritsar(Punjab)
Jallian Wala Bagh Memorial Civil Hospital, Ram Bagh, Amritsar, Punjab
[Dr. Kakkar – 09815576862]
Jaipur(Rajasthan)
Infectious District Hospital, Near Charak Bhawan, SMS Medical College, Jaipur, Rajasthan
[Dr.P. D.Vyas - 0141-2564434, 518392
2605148
Dr. Sen - 9887806450,
Dr. Girdhari - 9414772483
Dr. Somundra – 9829620508]
Chennai(Tamil Nadu)
1. Communicable Disease Hospital, 87, T.H. Road, Tondiarpet, Chennai, Tamil Nadu {Isolation Facility}
[Dr. Lakshmi- 044-25912688. M- 09841250567]
Tiruchirapalli(Tamil Nadu)
2. Annal Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Puthur, Trichy-17, Tamil Nadu
{Isolation and Critical care}
[Dr. Veerapande – 09443913446]

3. Dist. Headquarter Hospital, Mannapari {Isolation Facility}
[Dr. Veerapande – 09443913446]

Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu)

4. Coimbatore Medical College Hospital, Trichy Road, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
{Isolation and Critical care}
[Dr. Kumaran – 09442012555]
Lucknow(Uttar Pradesh)

1. Balrampur District Hospital, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh-226001
{Isolation and Critical care}
[Dr. P. N. Srivastva – 9415181629]
Varanasi(Uttar Pradesh)

2. Shree Shiv Prasad Gupta District Hospital, Kabir Chaura, Varanasi
Uttar Pradesh {Isolation and critical care}

3. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhya Govt Hospital, Pandeypur, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh-221002
{Isolation and Critical care}
[Dr. Kanta Prasad - 9451006046, Dr. R. S. Verma – 09415301513]

Kolkata(West Bengal)
Beliaghata Infectious Diseases Hospital, 57, Beliaghata, Main Road, Kolkata
{Isolation and Critical Care}

[Dr. Vishwanath 09433392182
Dr. Vishwas -09434009077]
DELHI
Yellow Fever Quarantine Centre, Near AAI Residential Colony, New Delhi [APHO- 25652129, Dr S.K Singh:09868252314]

Influenza Ward, Ward no 5, Second Floor, New Building, RML Hospital, Delhi-1
[RML- 24525211,23404328,23365525- Ext 4328]



Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Monsoon could see more swine flu cases, warn experts


A day after a 14-year-old schoolgirl died in Pune of swine flu, doctors and experts on Tuesday warned that the H1N1 infections in the country could increase as the virus spreads faster during the monsoon and winter.

Experts said people need to be more vigilant and take precautions as the swine flu virus has entered the country.

"Surveillance and screening has to be given high priority. The virus has been mild so far, but it is a well-known fact that it could change its behaviour. And if it changes, then the virus could be more virulent," Randeep Guleria, head of medicine at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), said.

"The swine flu virus can spread rapidly during monsoon and winter months. Therefore, we could see more infections in the coming months. It could be serious," he added.


Pune residents rush to hospital for swine flu tests

Wearing face masks, hundreds of anxious people, including children, rushed to a referral hospital to take tests for the swine flu virus leading to chaos and police had to be called in to control the crowd.

Two days after a 14-year-old Pune school girl succumbed to the deadly virus to become India's first swine flu fatality, there was a sense of panic in the city, as doctors and authorities tried to calm frantic parents with children thronging the designated Naidu hospital for infectious diseases to take H1N1 influenza tests.


There were complaints galore by people referred to the Naidu hospital for the tests that they were not being attended properly but hospital authorities sought to downplay it saying the "whole burden" was on them.

Flu cases in country inch close to 600 mark

Twenty-two fresh cases of swine flu were reported from across the country today taking the total number of those afflicted to 596.

Five cases were reported from Delhi, three from Gurgaon, four from Mumbai, three from Pune, and one each from Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mangalore, Jamshedpur, Chennai, Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur.

In Delhi, four out of the five cases are contacts of previously reported positive patients who had reported tothe stipulated health facility.

Goa to invoke epidemic act to tackle swine flu

Goa will invoke the Epidemic control Act (ECA), 1897, to curb the spread of influenza A (H1N1) once the state's busy tourism season gets underway in October, Health Minister Vishwajeet Rane said on Wednesday.

Rane's announcement comes barely a day after the Maharashtra government invoked the act in Pune and Satara districtS after a 14-year-old Pune schoolgirl died of swine flu.

`Maharashtra has invoked the act because there are thousands of international guests arriving at its Mumbai airport. We don't feel it is required for Goa at this moment. But once the tourist season starts we will put this act into effect,` Rane told reporters.

The epidemic act gives health authorities the power to forcibly admit and treat any swine flu patient at a government-run hospital.

`If this (swine flu) is not controlled worldwide, Goa will have to enforce the act once the tourist season starts,` Rane said, adding that Goa receives tourists from all over the world, including from countries particularly affected by swine flu.

2 passengers quarantined in Chennai

Chennai: Two passengers were quarantined on their arrival from Singapore on Wednesday following suspected symptoms of swine flu.
Rajan Sekhar (25) and Simon Michael Joseph (35), both natives of Chennai, were referred to the Government Communicable Diseases Hospital at Tondiarpet here, airport sources said.


Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Scientists worry if swine flu, bird flu mix




This is the scenario that has some scientists worried: The two viruses meet - possibly in Asia, where bird flu is endemic - and combine into a new bug that is both highly contagious and lethal and can spread around the world.

Scientists are unsure how likely this possibility is, but note that the new swine flu strain - a never-before-seen mixture of pig, human and bird viruses - has shown itself to be especially adept at snatching evolutionarily advantageous genetic material from other flu viruses.

Bird flu kills more than 60 percent of its human victims, but doesn't easily pass from person to person. Swine flu can be spread with a sneeze or handshake, but kills only a small fraction of the people it infects.



List of Countries with Confirmed Cases of H1N1 Virus (source: WHO)

  1. Argentina
  2. Australia
  3. Austria
  4. Bahamas
  5. Bahrain
  6. Barbados
  7. Belgium
  8. Bermuda, UKOT
  9. Bolivia
  10. Brazil
  11. British Virgin Islands, UKOT
  12. Bulgaria
  13. Canada
  14. Cayman Islands, UKOT
  15. Chile
  16. China
  17. Colombia
  18. Costa Rica
  19. Cuba
  20. Cyprus
  21. Czech Republic
  22. Denmark
  23. Dominica
  24. Dominican Republic
  25. Ecuador
  26. Egypt
  27. El Salvador
  28. Estonia
  29. Finland
  30. France
  31. Germany
  32. Greece
  33. Guatemala
  34. Honduras
  35. Hungary
  36. Iceland
  37. India
  38. Ireland
  39. Israel
  40. Italy
  41. Jamaica
  42. Japan
  43. Jordan
  44. Korea, Republic of
  45. Kuwait
  46. Laos
  47. Lebanon
  48. Luxembourg
  49. Malaysia
  50. Mexico
  51. Morocco
  52. Netherlands
  53. New Zealand
  54. Nicaragua
  55. Norway
  56. Oman
  57. Panama
  58. Papua New Guinea
  59. Paraguay
  60. Peru
  61. Philippines
  62. Poland
  63. Portugal
  64. Qatar
  65. Romania
  66. Russia
  67. Samoa
  68. Saudi Arabia
  69. Singapore
  70. Slovakia
  71. South Africa
  72. Spain
  73. Sri Lanka
  74. Suriname
  75. Sweden
  76. Switzerland
  77. Thailand
  78. Trinidad and Tobago
  79. Turkey
  80. Ukraine
  81. United Arab Emirates
  82. United Kingdom
  83. United States of America
  84. Uruguay
  85. Venezuela
  86. Viet Nam
  87. West Bank and Gaza Strip
  88. Yemen

Thursday, July 2, 2009

WHO working on formulas to model swine flu spread

The World Health Organization said Wednesday it is working to mathematically model the spread of swine flu in an attempt to better understand how the outbreak developed from a handful of cases to a global epidemic in less than two months.

WHO brought together over 20 independent experts beginning Wednesday for the three-day meeting in Geneva.

"They will be working together to describe and predict the behavior and impact of the pandemic, and demonstrate potential outcomes of proposed intervention efforts," spokeswoman Aphaluck Bhatiasevi told The Associated Press.

The meeting comes as it becomes clearer that actual case numbers may be far higher than the agency's tally of officially diagnosed infections.

According to WHO's latest update Wednesday, a total of 77,201 confirmed cases and 332 deaths have been reported in over 110 countries.

U.S. swine flu cases may have hit 1 million


As many as 1 million Americans now have swine flu, U.S. health officials said Thursday, adding that 6 percent or more of some urban areas are infected.

“We knew diagnosed cases were just the tip of the iceberg,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University infectious diseases expert who was in Atlanta for the meeting of a vaccine advisory panel.

Lyn Finelli, a flu surveillance official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, made the 1 million estimate in a presentation to the vaccine panel. The number is from mathematical modeling, based on surveys by health officials.


Continued spread signals ‘something different’ happening with new strain

America's count of swine flu cases has risen to 21,449 cases and the number of deaths have nearly doubled to 87.

The continued spread signals the new strain of H1N1 flu is causing “something different” to happen in the United States this year — perhaps an extended year-round flu season that disproportionately hits young people, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The latest numbers, released Friday by the CDC is a jump from last week's count of 18,000 cases and 44 deaths.

Worldwide, the number of confirmed cases reached 44,287, the WHO reported Friday. WHO says cases increased by more than 10 percent in two days.

Figures provided by the global body show Argentina, Britain, Canada, Chile, China, Philippines and Thailand all reported a large rise in cases.

A total of 93 countries had reported cases to WHO by Friday.

Friday, June 26, 2009

U.S. swine flu cases may have hit 1 million

Health officials estimate that as many as 1 million Americans now have the new swine flu. Lyn Finelli, a flu surveillance official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, voiced the estimate at a vaccine advisory meeting Thursday in Atlanta.

The estimate is based on mathematical modeling. Nearly 28,000 U.S. cases have been reported to the CDC, accounting for roughly half the world's cases. The U.S. count includes 3,065 hospitalizations and 127 deaths.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Swine Flu Pandemic Is Closer, Says WHO

The World Health Organization declared a swine flu pandemic

WHO chief Dr. Margaret Chan made the announcement Thursday after the U.N. agency held an emergency meeting with flu experts.

Chan said she was moving the world to phase 6 — the agency's highest alert level — which means a pandemic, or global epidemic, is under way.


"The world is moving into the early days of its first influenza pandemic in the 21st century," Chan told reporters. "The (swine flu) virus is now unstoppable."


Totals WorldWide

51,702 cases

229 deaths

97 Countries

China quarantines dozens of US students

Dozens of American high school students were quarantined in central China after some were diagnosed with swine flu, the government said Wednesday.

In New Zealand, the Roman Catholic Church placed restrictions on communion to stop the spread of the virus

A group of 42 American high school students and teachers was quarantined last Thursday in Yichang city in central Hubei province, China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement