H1N1 infections rate has increased to 40%, cautions NIV

"There is a significant rise in number of people suffering from the infection this year compared to last year, when the infection rate was between 15 and 25 percent. Precaution is the key to ward off the infection," said A C Mishra, director, NIV.

”We, at the NIV, have been receiving over 200 throat swab samples from all over the state every day. Many of them come from far-flung areas which remained unscathed last year. There is an increase in cases as well as an increase in the infection rate," he said.

Mishra also said that the H1N1 virus has become a leading tension for the country and he recommended that any kind of flu symptoms should be aggressively treated.

"The most surprising and perhaps most important point, is that the H1N1 virus behaves unpredictably and variably from one patient to the other. So we must be on our toes and react fast," he stated.

Precautions needed even after vaccination
Director of NIV cautioned that precautionary measures like washing hands frequently and avoiding coming in contact with any person displaying flu-symptoms is advised for everyone, including those who have got themselves vaccinated.

“The vaccines are found to give immunity to 90 per cent of people who have undergone vaccination. However, a few people may catch the infection even after taking the shot. Hence, taking all precautions is always advised,” he stated.

Talking about the media’s role, he said that the media should help in alerting people to be cautious.

Center asks Maharashtra government to make vaccination compulsory
The Central government today asked the Maharashtra government to make the swine flu vaccination mandatory for all health workers.

This has come after many of the health-care workers refused to get themselves immunized as they feared the possible adverse effects.

"A voluntary approach was used to vaccinate health care workers. Government of India has written to Government of Maharashtra emphasizing the urgency and has advised to State to make it mandatory to ensure that health care workers are vaccinated," said Ghulam Nabi Azad, Minister of Health and Family Welfare.

Earlier, the Center had provided the state with nearly 34,300 doses of the Tamiflu anti-swine flu vaccine, but Maharashtrian government has proposed returning 30,000 doses, as not many health workers were willing to get vaccinated.

It must be noted that Maharashtra was one of the worst-affected states and more than 450 Maharashtrians have lost their lives due to the pandemic, since August 2009.