Health Minister T Rajaiah has said the stocks of Tamiflu are adequate.
Three persons suffering from swine flu have died in a single day in Hyderabad, triggering fears of an epidemic. Over the last week, 10 cases have been reported.
Two middle-aged men and a 25-year-old woman who had recently given birth died at the city's Gandhi Hospital yesterday.
Health minister T Rajaiah said there is no need to panic - the spurt in cases is just a result of greater surveillance and prompt reporting by the authorities. Altogether, 70 cases have been reported so far this year.
The stocks of medicine, Tamiflu, were adequate and enough doctors were available to treat patients, he said. "It is only symptomatic and prophylactic treatment, like for any other viral flu,'' said the minister, who is also a paediatrician.
Hyderabad's Ronald Ross Institute of Tropical and Communicable Diseases, also known as the Fever Hospital, has been made the nodal centre for the disease. The health workers are to be vaccinated against swine flu.
Dr Dhairyawan, Superintendent, Gandhi Hospital, said improving personal hygiene, like frequently washing hands, was the key to containing swine flu.
"This is like any other flu, except that swine flu has a propensity to involve other organ systems like the respiratory system. If you have high fever, cough and cold, consult your doctor. If he suspects swine flu, he would refer you to a centre.''
"In case a person contracts swine flu, the rest of the family needs to be tested for the disease also. Those in the neighbourhood exposed to the disease must be kept under surveillance," the minister told NDTV.
A thermoscan has also been set up at the Hyderabad airport to check passengers arriving on international flights. If any passenger is detected with symptoms of swine flu, they will be tested for the disease and kept in isolation.
The Centre for Disease Control in Atlanta has issued an alert for swine flu. With the temperatures not dipping fast, the virus, which typically strikes in autumn, is expected to survive longer.