New Delhi: At a time when Swine flu deaths have soared to over 600 across the country and number of people affected by it breached the 10,000 mark, the government on Wednesday said that the vaccine is advisable to innoculate only healthcare workers and not the general public.
In the guidelines issued by the centre against the H1N1 virus, public have been advised to follow precautions and when a patient reaches the hospital he or she should be provided with the three-layered mask to prevent spread of the infection.
As reported by Indian Express, Union Health Secretary B P Sharma asserted that there was no shortage of drugs or other medical equipment in the country to fight the H1N1 influenza virus. Medical Superintendents of hospitals said they have adequate medicines required to deal with the situation.
Major hospitals in the Delhi are now equipped with a special H1N1 OPD ward and modern testing facilities while a 24X7 Monitoring Cell is in operation at the National Centre for Disease Control.
Teams of experts from the Health Ministry have visited states of Telangana, Gujarat and Rajasthan to extend technical support. Two such teams were being sent to Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
In order to ensure availability of medicines, the list of retail outlets/wholesellers under Schedule-X license has been put on the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's website.
