Total number of swine flu cases in Himachal Pradesh reach 86

As many as 86 people have tested positive for swine flu in Himachal Pradesh this winter, an official said Saturday. At a high-level meeting presided over by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, it was informed that as many as 270 tests were done for swine flu and 86 of them were found positive.

Thakur directed health officials to ensure effective steps for monitoring and to curb the H1N1 virus. The chief minister said the people must be sensitised about the symptoms, cause and treatment of the disease so that immediate and timely treatment could provided. Thakur said special medical teams must be deployed in those areas where the maximum number of cases have been reported.

A 12-bed isolation ward has been set up at the Indira Gandhi Medical College in Shimla and an ICU of four beds has been added to the existing infrastructure, he said. There is a stock of 8,000 capsules at IGMC Shimla to meet out any untoward impact of swine flu outbreak, he added.

(With inputs from agencies.)