Swine flu

The latest Government Guidelines on Swine flu(published on 14th Aug) is welcome and very pragmatic, dividing into certain classes of severity for diagnostic and management concerns are the pick of the matter, there are certain caveats though–as can be a case with any guidelines–Test only when people have life threatning severity, and this are again the same class of people who would need Hospitalisation.

This guidance is good for resource management, but more appears like a ”curative approach” to the problem and lacks “preventive approach”. It does lack certain factors on who should receive prophylaxis, as Drug-Treatment now can be provided without any further need of laboratory test based on severity and at risk status, the community may still continue to be at risk, as it will now not be possible to know that who among the community was positive afterall as they were never tested, and the multiplication of cases may continue to happen.
Pandemic is a Community Medicine subject and just concentrating on the clinical cases may allow it to be there where it was or may be allow to move it further.
By:
Dr.Ajay Khandal
Consultant Internal Medicine
Apollo Reach Hospital
Karim Nagar.
Andhra Pradesh.

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