Swine flu guidelines issued for doctors

It is an initiative directed towards suspected H1N1 cases getting the correct advice at the correct time.

The decision comes after the authorities at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital (RML) revealed that the two latest victims of H1N1 at the hospital had reached quite late for adequate treatment, and by the time the treatment started, it was too late.

Said Dr. Naresh Chawla, president, DMA, "Every day, on an average, there are two lakh patients of flu detected in Delhi. It is impossible for doctors to determine right at the outset if it's swine flu, especially as they see between 50 and 100 patients every day.

“However, our educational programmes as well as the bulletin has not only guidelines as issued by the health ministry but also measures which we have developed that could help doctors detect H1N1 early.”

Guidelines issued via bulletins, SMSs and educational programmes
The Delhi Medical Association (DMA), as a step towards better and timely detection of swine flu cases, has issued guidelines for doctors and physicians in the capital in its fortnightly bulletins, along with spreading the information via SMSs and few education programmes.

Dr. Chawla said that the DMA is in constant touch with the government to elaborate more on the guidelines, to make sure that the local doctors are able to detect the flu virus and impart correct treatment.

“We cannot ask every suspected patient to go for testing, which city resources don't allow. Only those which have multiple symptoms have we advised doctors to send for testing,” Dr. Chawla further said.

Keep strict vigil over patients: DMA to doctors
To make the initiative a success, DMA has asked its 14,000 plus doctors to keep a strict vigil over the patients. The bulletin advices the physicians to refer the suspected patients with high fever for testing.

"Though we are not advising that every suspected flu patient should get tested, private physicians need to know when to send the patient for testing. The guidelines by DMA is an effort to spread the information wider,” said a senior government official.

The medical association has also issued a list of preventive measures that the doctors and physicians should take note of.

131 fresh cases surface
Meanwhile, the number of positive cases in the country has crossed the 2,669 mark, with 131 new cases reported in the past 24 hours.

Among the fresh cases: 44 are in Delhi; 21 in Karnataka (Bangalore - 19, Gadag - 1, Belgaum - 1); 20 in Tamil Nadu (Chennai - 17, Coimbatore - 3); 23 in Maharashtra (Pune - 16, Nagpur - 3, Dhule - 2, Ahmednagar - 1, Beed - 1); 5 in West Bengal (Kolkata - 4, Nabadwip - 1); 9 in Kerala (Kochi - 2, Trivandrum - 2, Mallapuram - 1, Kasargod - 1, Alappuzha - 1, Pattanamthitta - 1, Kottayam - 1); 1 in Chhattisgarh; 3 in Goa; 2 in Haryana (Faridabad - 1, Gurgaon - 1); 2 in Rajasthan (Jaipur - 1, Ajmer 1); and 1 in Madhya Pradesh (Indore).

According to the Health Ministry, in the new cases reported, six in Delhi and two in Kerala are associated with recent travel to the affected countries.