Free H1N1 testing at all UP Govt health facilities, directs Yogi Adityanath

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday directed that Influenza-A (H1N1) testing be provided free of cost at all government health facilities in the state, and ordered stronger surveillance and treatment arrangements in districts reporting a higher number of cases.

According to the PTI report, reviewing the state's Influenza-A and seasonal influenza situation, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also directed private healthcare institutions not to charge more than the prescribed fee for H1N1 tests, and asked hospitals to ensure adequate medicines, testing and isolation facilities and prepare separate ICU wards for serious patients, according to an official statement.

The Chief Minister also ordered detailed guidelines on H1N1 prevention and treatment, effective teleconsultation services and intensified screening with the help of ANMs, ASHA workers and other health personnel to identify suspected cases, it stated.

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Experts informed the meeting that 685 laboratory-confirmed H1N1 cases were reported in the state as of Wednesday. The infection, a type of Influenza-A virus, spreads mainly through droplets released while coughing or sneezing. Symptoms include fever, runny nose, cough, sore throat, headache, body ache, chills and red eyes, it added.

"Ensure timely identification and treatment of patients. Wherever cases are increasing, surveillance should be strengthened and necessary medical arrangements made immediately," the chief minister said, reports PTI.

He directed that patients with mild symptoms be advised home rest and self-isolation according to medical advice, while serious cases should receive immediate treatment. Special attention should be given to children, pregnant women, people above 65 and those with serious pre-existing illnesses.

Hospitals were also directed to have separate counters for patients with influenza-like symptoms and ensure a referral system based on the patient's condition so that serious cases receive timely treatment without unnecessarily burdening hospitals.

Experts said breathing difficulty, chest pain, extreme drowsiness, low blood pressure, blood-stained sputum and bluish nails could indicate severe illness. In children, persistent high fever, inability to eat, seizures, rapid or difficult breathing and worsening of an existing illness were listed as warning signs.

The government said adequate stocks of oseltamivir capsules and syrup and H1N1 vaccine were available. District hospitals have flu help desks, sample collection facilities and separate flu OPDs, while medical colleges have testing facilities, medicines and isolation beds, with adequate RT-PCR kits.

Adityanath directed officials to emphasise public awareness and provide simple, accurate information on what people should and should not do.

"Ensure that there is no unnecessary panic," he said, stressing hand hygiene, cough and sneeze precautions and other infection-prevention measures at hospitals and crowded places.

He directed continuous monitoring of the situation and immediate action in districts witnessing a rise in cases.

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