LAHORE: The Health Department has been directed to prepare itself to handle a swine flu outbreak after the confirmation of several cases in Karachi.
Punjab Health Secretary, Fawad Hassan Fawad, directed health officials to make people aware about preventive measures and symptoms of the disease. The administration of all teaching hospitals has been asked to take samples of patients with symptoms of swine flu. The samples will then be sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad. If a case of swine flu is detected, the Health secretary said, he or she should be kept under observation in an isolation ward. Fawad also contacted the NIH executive director and asked him to cooperate with the provincial health officials. The NIH director was requested for quick laboratory analysis of the samples sent. The Health secretary also directed medical superintendents of government hospitals to prepare their hospitals for dealing with swine flu patients.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 7th, 2011.
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