India fine-tunes swine flu guidelines

India on Friday fine-tuned guidelines to deal with the rising number of swine flu cases as the number of confirmed cases in the country rose to 1,390.

The move came after a meeting chaired by Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad here.

The meeting, which started at 4.30 p.m. and ended only at 10.00 p.m., was "in connection with the various actions taken by the government for containment and mitigation of H1N1 cases in India", the health ministry said in a statement.

The minister and various eminent experts from public and private hospitals and organisations besides senior officers discussed "various guidelines and protocols developed by the World Health Organisation, Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the US and National Health Service, UK."

According to the revised guidelines, at first all individuals seeking consultations for flu-like symptoms should be screened at healthcare facilities both government and private or examined by a doctor.

The patients have been categorised as follows:

Category A: Patients with mild fever plus cough/sore throat with or without body ache, headache, diarrhoea and vomiting will be categorised. They do not require Oseltamivir and should be treated for the symptoms mentioned above. The patients should be monitored for their progress and reassessed at 24 to 48 hours by the doctor.

No testing of the patient for H1N1 is required. Patients should confine themselves at home and avoid mixing up with public and high risk members in the family.

Category B: (i) In addition to all the signs and symptoms of Category A, if the patient has high grade fever and severe sore throat, may require home isolation and Oseltamivir;

(ii) In addition to all the signs and symptoms of Category A, individuals having one or more of the following high risk conditions shall be treated with Oseltamivir: children under five, pregnant women, those above 65 years, those with lung diseases, heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease, blood disorders, diabetes, neurological disorders, cancer and HIV/AIDS; Patients on long term cortisone therapy.

No H1N1 tests are required for Category-B (i) and (ii). Such patients should confine themselves at home and avoid mixing with public and high-risk members in the family.

Category C: In addition to the symptoms of Categories A and B, if the patient has one or more of the following:

--Breathlessness, chest pain, drowsiness, fall in blood pressure, sputum mixed with blood, bluish discolouration of nails;

-- Irritability among small children, refusal to accept feed;

-- Worsening of underlying chronic conditions.

Such patients require testing, immediate hospitalisation and treatment. (IANS)