Swine flu in Islamabad: Number of cases double

Experts say situation under control.

ISLAMABAD: The number of swine flu patients in Islamabad has more than doubled in the past three days. There are 28 patients currently admitted to hospitals in the city, compared to just 13 on Friday, according to figures released by the health ministry.

There are an additional 20 patients infected with H1N1 virus (commonly know as swine flu virus) admitted to hospitals in Rawalpindi.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) has received a total of 125 blood samples for testing to date. Eighty-five of these tested positive for the virus. Punjab, with 28 confirmed cases, has the most number of swine flu patients, followed by Sindh with 19 and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with 10.

Dr Rizwan Qazi, a senior physician at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, said that “a wave of panic” had gripped people.

“A patient even with a slight temperature and flu is fearful of being infected with swine flu,” he told The Express Tribune.

Government health officials, however, said that the increased number of patients was not alarming as the number of swine flu patients peaked during January. They added that the situation was under control and all the hospitals in the city were “fully prepared” to provide timely treatment to such patients.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 11^th, 2011.