Swine flu claimed three more lives in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
Swine flu claimed three more lives in Hyderabad on Tuesday, taking the toll in Telangana this year to ten. Two of the patients died in Osmania Hospital, where two more patients -- one of them a junior doctor - is being treated. Another death took place in Gandhi Hospital, the nodal hospital for the disease.
So far, 185 people have tested positive for the H1N1 virus - including 25 more cases that came on Monday and 15 on Tuesday.
While health experts say there is no reason to panic, since swine flu can be treated like any other influenza, the numbers of the people affected are rising sharply.
Dr Narasimhulu, Nodal officer for Swine Flu control, said the virus is active due to the lingering cold weather. A rise in temperature should put the brakes on the disease.
"Whenever there is one positive case, there are 10 others who could be possible positive cases. It will increase like that,'' Dr Narasimhulu said.
But Telangana's health minister T Rajaiah said the high numbers were merely reflecting the exhaustive testing.
"Here in Hyderabad, we have a virology lab that is only next to the one in Delhi. Other states are not doing any tests for swine flu or any other infection.''
Doctors say the best way forward is to take precautionary measures like wearing face masks, since vaccination needs weeks to take effect and is not recommended for everyone.
The guidelines from the World Health Organisation say children aged between three months and five years, senior citizens aged above 65 and caregivers exposed to the disease could be vaccinated. But the vaccine takes two to three weeks to be effective, within which time, a person stands a chance of contracting the disease.