Morung Express News
Dimapur | August 4
With the report of the first Swine Flu fatality in the country, all the government district hospitals are in a state of preparedness, it was informed. Rapid Response Teams (RPT) it is learned, have already been set up since the report of the first Swine Flu case in the country.
Dr Kevichusa, in charge of ‘Integrated Disease Surveillance Project’ (IDSP) of the state said that the RPTs, comprising of doctors, have been set up in all the district hospitals to tackle the spread of the virus. He said that the state has sufficient stock of the anti-viral drug ‘Tamiflu.’ Also ‘isolation wards’, equipped with basic and necessary facilities have been set up in all the district hospitals. Such special wards are necessary to quarantine people suspected to be carrying the virus or showing symptoms of the Flu.
Dimapur being vulnerable to such an outbreak, it is learned that the district hospital has in place the necessary facility with a Rapid Response Team ready. The district hospital already has an ‘isolation ward’ while it has at its disposal, 20 doses of the restricted anti-viral drug for any emergencies, one doctor of the RPT said. The said stock if it is used up in case of an emergency, can be replaced within two hours from Kohima, it was informed.
Kohima with close proximity to Manipur is also prepared while the RPTs in the rest of the districts are on the alert.
At present Nagaland does not have facilities to diagnose the ailment, doctors said. There are only two laboratories in the country having such facilities – one in Delhi and the other in Pune. But doctors say that they will go by “definition,” meaning they will be in the lookout for Swine Flu-like symptoms. The state also lacks equipment called ‘thermal scanner’ to monitor the temperature of travellers at airports, it is informed. However, this equipment will be provided by the central agency within 48 hours of a report of the Flu in the state, it is learned. Doctors said that there is no need to be alarmed as such but “to remain alert”.
