Fear gripped people in Aurangabad and other parts of Marathwada following the death of Reeda Shaikh, a Pune schoolgirl, due to swine flu. Although the H1N1 influenza virus has not hit the region yet, a high alert has been sounded in Aurangabad and other seven districts of the region.
Deputy director of Public Health Department Dr LN Dolas said that as of Wednesday there is no sign of swine flu in the region. However, the entire department has been put on high alert because thousands of people travel to Pune everyday from this region.
Swine flu kits, tablets and masks in large quantity have been dispatched to all the district and civil hospitals. Besides, the medical staff including doctors of primary health centres in talukas have been asked to remain alert round-the-clock.
Special wards have been set up in the Government Medical College Hospitals (GMCH) at Aurangabad and Ambajogai and similar arrangements have been made in the district and civil hospitals.
Dean of GMCH, Aurangabad, Dr Nandkumar Dravid has said that a 20-bed ward for treatment of swine flu patients has been set up.
Medical officer of Aurangabad Municipal Corporation Dr Shrikrishna Deogaonkar said letters have been dispatched to headmasters of all schools advising them to inform government officials forthwith if they found symptoms of the swine flu in any student.
Dr LS Deshmukh, head of the Pediatrics department of GMCH, Aurangabad, said that although patients, particularly children suffering from cold, cough and fever, have been coming to the hospital in large numbers everyday, no one has been found suffering from swine flue yet.
