JOIN USConsidering the disproportionate number of deaths due to swine flu in Rajasthan, a team of the Union health ministry will visit the state on Tuesday. It will go to the worst-affected areas in Jodhpur, Bikaner and Jaipur.
The team will review the steps taken in the state to check swine flu, especially in Jaipur, Jodhpur and Bikaner divisions. It will give suggestions for other arrangements to be made to curb the disease, said a health ministry officer.
According to government records, in the last one-and-a-half months, at least 109 deaths out of 700 positive swine flu cases have been reported in the state, which in terms of casualty is one of the highest in the country.
Chief minister Ashok Gehlot had asked the Union ministry to send a team to investigate the reasons behind such high number of casualties, particularly this year.
Gehlot had also asked people to seek immediate medical help on seeing signs of fever, cold, cough and breathing difficulty.
BJP slams govt
The state BJP on Monday accused the government of not controlling the spread of the disease. Former health minister Jigamber Singh said in the past four years over 500 people have died due to swine flu as per government records, which were preventable. He claimed the actual number of casualties is very high.
He asked the government to conduct a door-to-door survey and administer swine flu vaccines to the most vulnerable sections, such as in schools and colleges.