No Death Reported Due To H3N2 In Gujarat, State Equipped To Tackle Any Situation: Health Minister Rushikesh Patel

Gandhinagar: Gujarat has not reported any casualty due to the seasonal influenza subtype H3N2 so far and the health administration is fully prepared and equipped to handle any situation that arises in the future, the state government told the legislative Assembly on Friday (March 17). Under Rule 116 of the Assembly, which deals with matters of “urgent public importance”, Congress MLA Arjun Modhwadia and three BJP legislators sought the state government’s response about H3N2 influenza and steps being taken to contain the spread.

Also Read: Not Many Influenza Cases But Will Conduct Early Screening: Delhi Health Minister

State Health Minister Rushikesh Patel in his reply said no one has died due to the new variant in Gujarat so far.

Referring to a 55-year-old woman who died due to flu-like symptoms in Vadodara earlier this week, Mr Patel said she was a “comorbid” patient, who was suffering from two or more ailments.

No one has died due to H3N2. The woman who died in Vadodara was comorbid and her treatment started a little late. She could have been saved if her treatment had started sooner. There is no need to compare H3N2 with coronavirus. The treatment of this viral infection has been available in the country and in Gujarat since many years, Mr Patel said.

As per the ‘Gujarat Epidemic Response Management System Portal’, the state has reported 80 cases of H1N1 and two cases of H3N2 seasonal flu between January 1 and March 13, the minister said.

Oseltamivir, the drug recommended by the WHO for the treatment of H3N2, is available at all government-run hospitals and health centres, he said.

Moreover, we have a huge stock of 2.74 lakh tablets of Oseltamivir in our warehouses at present. There is no need to panic. We have made preparations to tackle this infection from village to city level. Infected patients are given medicines at our hospitals free of cost, Mr Patel said.

Also Read: Delhi Hospitals Witnessing Spike In H3N2 Virus Cases, Say Doctors: Report

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.