India's swine flu toll rises to 106
NEW DELHI: Five more people died of swine flu in India on Wednesday, taking the toll due to the influenza A (H1N1) virus to 106, health authorities said here.
Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra reported two deaths each, while one person died in Karnataka. In Maharashtra, which has topped the chart for maximum swine flu deaths and cases, one death was reported from Pune, declared an epidemic city, while the second death was in Thane. While two deaths in Andhra Pradesh were from Hyderabad, in Karnataka, one person succumbed to the disease in Mysore. As many as 97 people were tested positive for H1N1, taking the total to 4,198.
Preventive Homeopathy adviced against H1N1
The union health ministry recommended preventive homeopathy medicine, Arsenicum album 30. The decision to advise people to take the preventive medicine was taken after the Central Council for Research in Homeopathy (CCRH), a state-run research wing, gave the suggestion for curbing the spread of the diseases.
'It has recommended one doze of the medicine daily on empty stomach for three days. The dose should be repeated after one month by following the same schedule in case flu like conditions prevail in the area,' the ministry said in a statement.
Rs.60 crore awareness campaign to check spread of H1N1
With the swine flu claiming over 100 lives and infecting nearly 4,000 people in India, the government has planned a Rs.600 million (Rs.60 crore) campaign on street corners, health facilities, schools, cinema halls, television and radio to spread awareness about the virus. Since May, some advertisements have been appearing on television and radio in English and Hindi, but now the health ministry is planning to air them in 12 regional languages.
'The virus is spreading fast in the country and there will be more cases in the winter. As awareness is the best way to prevent the spread of the disease, we have planned a series of advertisement campaigns,' a health ministry official said.
3 Indian firms scramble to make vaccine against H1N1 virus
Three Indian firms are racing against time to develop a vaccine for the H1N1 virus that causes swine flu, which has already claimed at least 106 lives in the country. Serum Institute of India Ltd, Panacea Biotec Ltd and Bharat Biotech International Ltd have been granted licences by the Indian government to create a home-grown vaccine to battle the H1N1 influenza virus.
“It’s the first time that a vaccine is being created in India with such urgency,” said Bir Singh, a public health specialist at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi.
