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Monday, August 17, 2009

Important Swine Flu Guidelines

Posted by PuneMate at 3:12 AM

Important Swine Flu Guidelines for testing and Treatment

Download the complete Swine Flu Guide with address and phone numbers of hospitals and doctors and tips on improving your immune system
Important Swine Flu related Guidelines, every individual should follow. The following guide lines answer questions like When should one seek medical help? When should one take Tamiflu? When Should one get tested for H1N1? What are Swine Flu Category-A, Category-B and Category-C? The following article appeared in the Times of India on 15th of Aug. Please see the disclaimer below.

With swine flu cases continuing to rise sharply, the Union Health Ministry on Saturday issued fresh guidelines specifying screening and testing module for patients to contain the disease in the country. The guidelines were finalized at a high-level meeting chaired by the Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad last night in connection with the various actions taken by the government for containment and mitigation of H1N1 cases across the country.

During the meeting that lasted for more than five hours till 10 pm last night, the Health Minister also discussed various guidelines and protocols developed by the World Health Organisation in Geneva, Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Atlanta, USA and National Health Service, United Kingdom. The meeting was attended by eminent experts from public and private hospitals/organizations besides senior officers of Health Ministry and Directorate General of Health Services.

As per guidelines, all individuals seeking consultation for flu-like symptoms would be screened at health care facilities -- both government and private -- or examined by a doctor and will be categorized broadly under three categories A, B and C depending on their health status, as per an official release here.

Category-A.
They will be given treatment and isolated as specified in the guidelines. Patients with mild fever plus cough/sore throat with or without body ache, headache, diarrhoea and vomiting will be categorized as Category-A. They do not require Oseltamivir (Timiflu) and should be treated for the symptoms mentioned above.

These patients should be monitored for their progress and reassessed after 24 to 48 hours by the doctor. For this category, no testing of the patient for H1N1 is required. Patients should confine themselves at home and avoid mixing up with public and high risk members in the family.

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Category B
Category B has two subcategories. Category BI is for those patients, who have high grade fever and severe sore throat in addition to all the signs and symptoms mentioned under Category-A. They may require home isolation and Oseltamivir (Tamiflu).

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Category BII is for those, who have in addition to all the signs and symptoms mentioned under Category-A are having one or more of the following high risk conditions like children less than 5-years-old, pregnant women, persons aged 65 years or older, patients with lung diseases, heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease, blood disorders, diabetes, neurological disorders, cancer and HIV/AIDS, patients on long term cortisone therapy. They shall be treated with Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) but no tests for H1N1 is required for Category-B (I) and (II).
However, all patients of Category-B (I) and (II) should confine themselves at home and avoid mixing with public and high risk members in the family.

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Category C
High Risk: In Category C, those patients fall, who in addition to the above signs and symptoms of Category-A and B, have one or more of the following problems like breathlessness, chest pain, drowsiness, fall in blood pressure, sputum mixed with blood, bluish discoloration of nails, irritability among small children, refusal to accept food, worsening of underlying chronic conditions. All these patients mentioned above in Category-C require testing, immediate hospitalization and treatment.

The release said that these guidelines will be reviewed and revised from time to time as per need and on the basis of spread of the disease.

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Source: Times Of India

Disclaimer: The information on this web page and this website is for information only and is not intended to be a substitute for the advice of a doctor or a health care professional or a recommendation for any particular treatment plan. It is important that you rely on the advice of a doctor for your specific condition.

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Monday, August 17, 2009

Important Swine Flu Guidelines

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