TimesView The health department has given directions to government hospitals to create isolation wards for swine flu patients and get medical staff vaccinated, but it also needs to create awareness among people to check the spread of the disease. Apart from general awareness through media, posters and placards should be put up in hospitals informing people about precautions. Separate arrangements should be made for the patients suffering with any kind of flu or with flu symptoms in the hospital and they should not be allowed to mix with others till the test rules out swine flu.

LUCKNOW: It is not only dengue that is creating havoc in the state as swine flu (H1N1 virus ) has also raised its ugly head registering a whopping 55-fold rise in the number of cases as compared to last year.While only 37 H1N1 cases and six deaths were reported in 2018, at least 2,086 people have been tested positive and 35 of them have lost their lives till October this year. Lucknow has registered the highest 550 cases this year.According to experts, swine flu cases will increase in coming days as the virus flourishes from January to March and August to October.According to the data shared by the office of director (communicable diseases), 2,086 people have been tested positive this year, including 1,967 cases and 27 deaths between January and May.Despite being considered ‘off season’, eight cases were reported in June. A patient was tested positive in July who later succumbed to infection.In the second half of the year, 13 cases were reported in August, 49 in September and 48 in October. Four and three deaths, respectively, occurred in September and October.Between August and October, at least 110 cases and seven deaths have been reported across UP with Lucknow clocking the highest 40 H1N1 cases.District-wise comparison reveals that Lucknow registered 511 cases from January to July, 10 in August, 19 in September and 10 in October. Seven pregnant women tested positive in September and October.Meerut, with 399 swine flu cases and five deaths till October, is at second place followed by Ghaziabad (337 cases and one death).Director, communicable and vector-borne diseases, Mithilesh Chaturvedi said: “Though H1N1 cases have increased manifold this year, the fatality rate (number of deaths in every 100 positive cases) is low. The rate has come down to 1.68 this year as compared to 16.22 in 2018 and 3.40 in 2017 because of steps taken by the health department.”“Adequate supply of Tamiflu to primary health centres and district-level hospitals has been ensured. Funds have been provided for emergency requirements and isolation wards have been created in hospitals. Medical staff is also being vaccinated,” she said.