Yasmeen Manzoor
SRINAGAR, Jan 8: Three patients in the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital (SMHS) have been diagnosed positive for the H1N1 virus, popularly known as Swine Flu, on Monday.
Medical authorities at the hospital as of now are tight lipped on the issue. However, as per the reports, at least three patients have turned out to be positive, two of them are ‘critical’, and the third patient who is suffering from a chronic lung disease is in ‘very critical’ condition.
A separate ward has been created for the patients, and strict quarantine measures are being followed. Medical staff is advised to wear protective gear in order to stop any spread of the virus by contact.
One of the patients, a female, is from Srinagar, while two patients are from Kupwara, both above 75-years. The patients are been provided anti-viral drugs free of cost by the hospital.
There are reports of some cases at the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), however details are still awaited.
H1N1 flu is also known as swine flu because of its origin being associated to direct contact of humans with pigs. However, the virus in the recent past has also been reported in people who had no contact with pigs.
In 2009, H1N1 was spreading fast around the world, when the World Health Organization called it a pandemic. Since then, people have continued to get sick from swine flu, but their number has declined.
