Morung Express News
Dimapur | August 7
The H1N1 virus (or “Swine flu”) has the entire country on jitters and no less worried Nagaland state’s health and allied departments are engaged in setting up the needful health measures against the ailment. These measures include mobilizing Rapid Response Teams (RTTs), setting up isolation wards and issuing public health alerts at consistent periods. But then, the primary worry, it can be observed, is that the measures being undertaken in the state currently are basically counteractive measures and not systematic preventives in nature. In other words, ‘time-ineffective’ in the event virus – or suspected – cases start surfacing. For instance, it would take at least four days for samples to be send outside to be tested and results returned. The duration for the swine flu to worsen, according to medical health information capsules, is 4 to five days.
There are hesitant reactions and stutters from medical practitioners whether or not Nagaland is in actuality “ready” enough to counter H1N1 in the event the virus reaches its tentacles into the state. Next door neighbor Manipur has already reported one. On their part, the Health & Family Welfare department and sister department, the Veterinary & Animal Husbandry, are for now laying siege-works to counter H1N1. Yet, for a virus that boasts of a self-explanatory history of deaths and widespread panic, the primary worry factors for the state are one too many: The state has no facility to diagnose the virus; the time transporting suspected cases (blood samples) to outside the state takes; lack of public monitoring mechanisms (for instance at airports and railway stations) and public health campaigns to mobilize awareness and public activism at the societal level.
A number of doctors from the state who are engaged in the current counteractive efforts were contacted. Attempts continue to be made to contact the Nagaland Health & Family Welfare minister and the Veterinary & Animal Husbandry minister but they are yet to return or take calls made to them by this daily.
State Nodal Officer for Integrated Disease Surveillance Project Dr Kevichusa Medikhru responded to a number of worry-factor queries posed to him. On the aspect of the state lacking monitoring facilities, he said even at the national level there are only a few airports that actually have any such, leave alone Nagaland. He acknowledged that ‘prevention depends from person to person.’
Dr. Medikhru also said that the Centre has assured the state would be provided with scanners within a case is reported. It was also reported earlier that the state also lacks a critical piece of equipment called the Thermal Scanner. This piece is used to monitor and scan body temperature and used mostly in populated places like airports and railway stations. Still, it was assured that the Centre would provide for this equipment within “48 hours” of any reported case.
Over the matter of diagnosing facilities that Nagaland lacks, Dr. Medikhru said even in the entire country there are only about four centers that have capacity to diagnose the virus. Even large states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar don’t have any, leave alone Nagaland. Samples are normally sent to either Delhi or Pune to be tested.
He said the time it would take for one to send (‘for instance through courier…’) and receive the results would be about 4 days.
Also, some current requirements of the heath departments engaged in mobilizing measures were spelled out. They include mobile efforts and ‘movement’ for medical personnel in the course of their monitoring activities across the state. It was also informed by sources that a “proposal” was submitted earlier to the state government. Interestingly, there has yet to be any response for now “we need support from the state government,” a doctor said. “We are still waiting,” the source added.
