Thaindian News

Raipur, Aug 17 (IANS) Three men, who returned from Maharashtra, have been home quarantined after they tested positive for swine flu Monday with the Chhattisgarh government stepping up measures to tackle any possible outbreak of the virus.
“Three samples were found positive for swine flu out of the total 36 samples’ results received Monday,” T.K. Agrawal, the state’s deputy director (epidemics) and swine flu nodal officer, told IANS.

Over 90 samples of patients with common-flu like symptoms have been sent to Delhi from Chhattisgarh for testing, he said.

Agrawal said the three who tested positive are in their early 20s.

They have been asked to take rest in isolation at their homes and follow specific medical advice.

“These three men are not serious and have minor flu problem. We are taking care of them, have given them medicines and told their families not to worry,” the official added.

The state government stepped up measures to deal with the HIN1 virus and constituted rapid response teams of doctors in all the 18 districts.

The rapid response team comprises of three doctors - an expert, a pathologist and a child specialist - in each district with a purpose to detect suspected swine flu patients.

Meanwhile, the test results of 18-year-old Sitaram Verma, who died Aug 12 following flu symptoms at Raipur’s Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Hospital, were found to be negative for swine flu.

But health officials are still awaiting the test results of Y.S. Rao, a 40-year-old constable with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) who succumbed to high fever, cough and cold at Bilaspur-based Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Science (CIMS) Aug 14.

The state government has deployed doctors at the Raipur airport and railway stations across the state to screen passengers from other states, particularly from Maharashtra and Delhi, to check the spread of the H1N1 virus.