While swine flu has claimed two lives in Panchkula this year, 21 out of 76 cases have tested positive for the virus so far. In Chandigarh, 10 patients have tested positive out of 83 suspected cases reported at the Government Medical College and Hospital Sector- 32. Advertising The Panchkula district malaria officer said that a 72-year-old resident of Sector 4 had succumbed to swine on February 10, while a 51-year-old from Rajpura had died on January 27. ‘’To prevent any upsurge, our team visits areas from where the cases are being reported on a daily basis. Apart from that, we are distributing pamphlets among people about common symptoms of swine flu or H1N1 virus,’’ the officer said. He further added that the residents are being advised to take care of personal hygiene and avoid any contact with persons suspected to be suffering from the H1N1 virus. Civil Surgeon Dr Rajiv Narwal told Chandigarh Newsline, ‘’Out of the 21 positive cases in Panchkula, 13 have been discharged while 5 patients are undergoing treatment at Civil Hospital, Sector 6.’’ He added that children and senior citizens are more prone to this virus. “Symptoms of the H1N1 virus are similar to that of viral fever, and most of the time, people don’t pay any attention to it. You must pay attention to symptoms such as nausea, headache, low blood pressure, chest pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, bruises and breathing problems to prevent wrong diagnosis.’’ Dr Ravi Gupta, medical superintendent at GMCH-Sec 32, advised against shaking hands with patients showing symptoms of flu. ‘’Others should also be careful while sneezing and coughing. Infected people should take precautions while sneezing and coughing in public places,” he added. Advertising The doctor advised flu patients against long-distance travel. ‘’Those infected must be isolated. Four swine flu patients are still undergoing treatment in the isolation ward of GMCH. We have sufficient stock of Tamiflu and masks required to curb the spread of the disease,’’ he added.

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