Swine flu death cases in India are steadily rising. In an attempt to stop the spread of the disease, government officials have banned public gatherings in some regions of the country.
The latest swine flu outbreak started in India from December 2014 and it is the deadliest occurrence since 2010. About 17,000 people have got infected with swine flu caused by the H1N1 virus. Around 1,000 people have already lost their lives to the infection and the death toll is constantly rising.
Swine flu is a respiratory disease and it first occurred in Mexico in 2009. Swine flu originated in pigs but is now a human disease and can spread through sneezing, coughing or coming in contact with an infected person's body fluids. Even though people from all age groups can get swine flu, health experts suggest that elderly people over 65 years, children under 5 years and people with weak immune system are at higher risks.
Swine flu cases have been reported in several Indian states but health officials in the country reveal that the western states of Gujarat and Rajasthan are worst affected. Swine flu is spreading at a rapid pace and in a bid to limit the spread city officials of Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujarat, have issued a ban on public gathering apart from funerals and weddings.
Ahmedabad city officials have also alerted people to wear masks if they are attending weddings or funerals.
Schools and work places in Ahmedabad are open as normal; however, a concert and a charity walk have been postponed. About 5,000 people were expected to participate in the charity walk and organizers have been requested to put the walk on a hold.
Amidst such a medical crisis, doctors in several hospitals in New Delhi, the capital of India, have gone on a strike on Friday, Feb. 27.
"The resident doctors of hospitals including Safdarjung, Ram Manohar Lohia and Lok Nayak will be on strike on Friday," says Dr. Balvinder Singh, president of the Federation of Resident Doctors Association of Delhi.
Health officials in India are hoping that the rising temperature due to the approaching summer will come to the rescue and the H1N1 virus will subside soon.
The population of India is more than 1.25 billion. An infectious disease like swine flu may cause a lot of concern for health agencies in the country. Health officials will hope to restrict the spread of the disease before it takes a toll on more and more people.
