Hubballi: There are no lab facilities at any government hospital in the region of North Karnataka, to test samples for the presence of the virus H1N1, irrespective of the increase in the number of cases around the district.
In the past two to three weeks, eight persons, including a child, succumbed to H1N1 in the region, and on an average three to four suspected cases are reported in each district hospital every day. A separate isolation ward has been set up at government hospitals to treat H1N1 cases.
Without waiting for the reports, doctors are treating patients if they have fever, cough and body ache. Swab samples of patients with all symptoms of H1N1 are sent to hospitals in Bengaluru or Manipal.
All district hospitals of Vijayapura, Kalaburagi, Belagavi, Gadag, Dharwad,Haveri, Bagalkot, Bidar, among others, are sending samples to Bengaluru or Manipal and have to wait at least 72 hours for the lab report. Though there is an instruction from the Centre to vaccinate health workers involved in treating and handling H1N1 cases, this process hasn’t started yet.
Dr NM Angadi, district health officer, Dharwad, said, “We sent four samples in the past three days to Bengaluru, of which one tested positive and a woman died in the district. All arrangements have been made to treat H1N1 cases by setting up isolation wards at district hospitals, KIMS Hospital and all taluk offices.”
Dr Dattatraya Bunt, director of KIMS, Hubballi, “Without waiting for lab reports, we start treatment by providing Tamiflu tablets for adults and syrup to children.”
