H&F: Precautions to keep swine flu away

The deadly Swine Flu has reached the Indian shores following the global outbreak and now, claimed one life. However, Swine Flu is certainly one of those diseased where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Here are ten tips for you to keep away from the pandemic.

1. Wash your hands frequently

Use the antibacterial soaps to cleanse your hands. Wash them often, at least 15 seconds and rinse with running water.

2. Get enough sleep

Try to get 8 hours of good sleep every night to keep your immune system in top flu-fighting shape.

3. Drink sufficient water

Drink 8 to10 glasses of water each day to flush toxins from your system and maintain good moisture and mucous production in your sinuses.

4. Boost your immune system

Keeping your body strong, nourished, and ready to fight infection is important in flu prevention. So stick with whole grains, colorful vegetables, and vitamin-rich fruits.

5. Keep informed

The government is taking necessary steps to prevent the pandemic and periodically release guidelines to keep the pandemic away. Please make sure to keep up to date on the information and act in a calm manner.

6. Avoid alcohol

Apart from being a mood depressant, alcohol is an immune suppressant that can actually decrease your resistance to viral infections like swine flu. So stay away from alcoholic drinks so that your immune system may be strong.

7. Be physically active

Moderate exercise can support the immune system by increasing circulation and oxygenating the body. For example brisk walking for 30-40 minutes 3-4 times a week will significantly perk up your immunity.

8. Keep away from sick people

Flu virus spreads when particles dispersed into the air through a cough or sneeze reach someone else€™s nose. So if you have to be around someone who is sick, try to stay a few feet away from them and especially, avoid physical contact.

9. Know when to get help

Consult your doctor if you have a cough and fever and follow their instructions, including taking medicine as prescribed.

10. Avoid crowded areas

Try to avoid unnecessary trips outside.

Link http://in.news.yahoo.com/242/20090806/1512/tls-how-to-prevent-swine-flu-infection.html

Swine Flu scares Stars

Swine Flu is on the rise and has gripped the country in fear. Bollywood too has come on a standstill, as Karan Johar recently cancelled the shoot of his film Kurbaan, starring Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor in Pune due to the deadly scare. StarBoxOffice spoke to a few celebrities to know how well informed they are about the pandemic and what precautions are they taking to prevent themselves from swine flu.

While Lilavati wanted the isolation ward to be located in its refuge area, Jagjivanram proposed to set it up right in front of the paediatric ward. Neither proposal was acceptable to the government. Most of the others were rejected because they failed to separate the isolation ward from the centralised air conditioning system.

Ten hospitals have got the state government nod to start treating swine flu patients with immediate effect. Some of them are expected to start functioning in the next couple of days while others will take more time to get technically updated. These hospitals add 110 beds to the existing treatment infrastructure in the city.

The 10 hospitals will have separate units for positive and suspected H1N1 patients. "The suspected patients need to be kept at a safe distance from each other and adequate precautions will be taken. All private hospitals have agreed to provide separate units," additional chief health secretary Sharvaree Gokhale said.

A health official said Lilavati Hospital's proposal was immediately rejected by BMC's chief secretary Johny Joseph.

Mohan Rajan, spokesperson for Lilavati, refused to comment saying, "You should ask state government for the reasons."

Other hospitals rejected by the government were Jaslok, Saifee, Prince Ali Khan, Asian Heart, Brahmakumari's, Guru Nanak and Holy Family. The official added that there will be no need to rope in more private hospitals as the occupancy rate at Kasturba Hospital is only 30% while it is less than 15% at JJ.

Gokhale added that the private hospitals will be provided with Tamiflu free of charge, and other charges will be borne by the patients. However, both private and public insurance companies have indicated that they will pick up the tab, even in the case of confirmed H1N1 cases. "We do have a product to take care of hospitalisation expenses for several diseases, including H1N1, since it is just another form of flu," said Krishnamoorthy Rao, chief operating officer, Future Generali India Insurance Company Limited. On doubts being raised about the validity of medical insurance in times of pandemic, Rao said, "No company can deny paying the mediclaim amount to H1N1 patients."

Meanwhile, private pathological laboratories will start testing samples of suspected swine flu cases from next week after the Union government on Friday conducted an orientation programs for six laboratories apprising them of the guidelines for conducting the tests.

Officials from National Institute of Communicable Diseases and Ministry of Health told the private labs about handling the samples and other logistics. Representatives from six private labs Super Religare Laboratories, Lal Path Labs, Quest diagnostic, Piramal Diagnostic, Auroprobe Laboratories and Era Health were present.

Super Religare Laboratories (SRL) said it is ready to conduct swine flu tests at Rs4,000, while the government claims it spends nearly Rs.10,000 for testing a swine flu patient's sample, which it does not pass on to the patient. "We are fully prepared for the screening of H1N1 in all our laboratories in the country and are only waiting for the green signal from the government. We have lowered our prices as we see this as an opportunity to serve the nation," said Sanjeev K. Chaudhry, chief executive of Super Religare Laboratories. "We have adequate amount of testing kits available with us with a team of renowned doctors at both Mumbai and Gurgaon."

Private help at hand

Bombay Hospital, Breach Candy, Harkisandas, Hinduja, Holy Spirit, Kokilaben D Ambani, Nanavati, Hiranandani, Wockhardt, Inlaks Stock of Tamiflu by Saturday

The state government said that it will get the first stock of Tamiflu from the central government by Saturday. "We have requested for 15,000 doses and the first stock will be delivered soon," additional chief health secretary Gokhale said.

The independent agency founded in 2006, which aims to revisit hygiene practices and offer realistic solutions, spoke to 8,000 people across the globe and found that only 42% of Indians believe washing hands is the most effective way of preventing flu spread.

Worse, around 29% of Indians do not wash hands properly after coughing or sneezing and a whopping 70% do not do so for the recommended 20-30 seconds. Further, nearly 59% of parents admitted their children may not wash hands properly while snacking.

Hand-hygiene standards in India compared poorly with those in the US, the UK, Germany, Australia and South Africa. About 75% of Americans believe hand-washing is important to prevent cold or flu, while only 42% of Indians and 21% of Malaysians think so. Over 55% of Americans and South Africans believe it is the most effective way to prevent the spread of germs, while only 44% of Indians believe so.

Only 9% of Indians wash hands with running water against South Africa's 15%. Dr Narinder Saini, the GHC representative in India, said 70% of diseases here were infectious and 50% of these caused due to poor hygiene.

The common diseases are flu -- seasonal, common and now swine; gastro-intestinal infections that can cause diarrhoea; food-related problems leading to e coli and salmonella infections; and hepatitis-A. Saini gave the example of the Spanish Flu of 1918 to emphasise that flu is an old enemy. Though Spanish Flu had higher mortality rate than swine flu, H1N1's communicability is 20% and the virus mutates from person to person. "1.5 lakh germs are emitted in one cough, which explains the importance of hygiene," Dr Saini said.

Link http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_here-s-a-reason-why-we-could-not-handle-h1n1-well_1288629