No swine flu case reported in Islamabad

PIMS head says one suspected case is being tested

ISLAMABAD: Although four suspected swine flu patients have died in Rawalpindi over the last week, no confirmed cases have been reported in the federal capital, health officials said.

Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU) Vice Chancellor Dr Javed Akram told The Express Tribune on Saturday that three suspected swine flu patients including one from Gujrat had been brought to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Science (Pims). Two were discharged after they tested negative.

He said one of the suspected swine flu patients was admitted in the hospital and his blood samples have been sent to the National Institute of Health for further tests.

Dr Akram said that Pims has allocated four beds for suspected swine flu patients in an isolated ward.

Earlier, the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination stated that samples of suspected swine flu patients from Peshawar, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Multan have been received.

Similarly, the Epidemic Investigation Cell at NIH and WHO Collaborating Centre in Islamabad in its national advisory for prevention and control of influenza had said that seasonal flu viruses can cause mild to severe illness and even death, particularly in some high-risk individuals.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17^th, 2016.