Three suspect swine flu cases turn negative
GANGTOK, August 21: The Regional Team from NICED, Kolkata, for control of H1N1 and In-charges for Sikkim visited the Singtam District Hospital, Central Referral Hospital and Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial Hospital on August 19 to evaluate the State’s preparedness for H1N1 containment.
The State Health Department has in a press statement today said the regional team expressed satisfaction after visiting STNM Hospital Complex, including H1N1 Screening Centre, Isolation Wards, etc to deal with cases of H1N1. The regional team said that precautionary steps taken up by Sikkim should be a model for others to adopt, said Dr Namgyal T Sherpa, the team leader of the Monitoring Task Force.
Meanwhile, swab samples taken from the three suspect patients for testing of H1N1 virus turned out to be negative at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), Kolkata.
“The condition of the three patients, who were suffering from fever and throat infections since last week, substantially improved following treatment,” Dr. Sherpa told media persons today.
He added no swine flu case has been reported from any part of Sikkim with proper arrangements already in place at all government hospitals in the four districts.
As far as the response from the Centre is concerned, Tarun Sridhar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, GOI and the Nodal Officer H1N1 for Sikkim visited the state on August 14 and held a meeting with the Health Department officials and the members of the State Task Force, Secretary Animal Husbandry, DC (East). Various issues related to Influenza (H1N1) situations were discussed in the said meeting.
Updating the role of the State H1N1 Monitoring Task Force in Sikkim, the State Health Department also said no confirmed case of swine flu has been reported in the State and the number of cases hospitalized is nil.
Earlier, a meeting was chaired by State Health Minister on August 12 for the preparedness and prevention of H1N1 pandemic in the State. Besides, taking stock of the situation a State Task Force was then constituted to prevent and control H1N1 in Sikkim.
