H1N1 patient delivers healthy baby in City

Shabana was advised home quarantine by doctors with proper guidance

Shabana tested positive for flu on August 27 and developed labour pains on August 28. She was brought to the hospital and by evening she delivered her second child without any complications. Fortunately, the baby girl was unaffected by the virus. Even after 14 days of incubation period, the baby did not show any symptoms of influenza, the hospital doctors told Deccan Herald.

Shabana had developed flu like symptoms-cough, sore throat and fever-- just before her due date and visited Shifa Hospital for a check-up on August 25. Shabana’s husband Junaid Sharief said, “My wife had fever and wheezing so I suspected swine flu. So I immediately took her to the hospital.”

Doctors at the hospital collected her throat swabs for testing and put her on Tamiflu (antiviral drug) the same day. She was advised home quarantine by the doctors with proper guidance. Shabana, however, suffered some side-affects after beginning the Tamiflu medication. “I developed itching, but I do not know if it was due to Tamiflu as I was also administered other drugs. I felt a little burning sensation on my skin for which the doctor asked me to drink lots of water,” she recalled. 

Dr Zameer Ahmed, Medical Superintendent for H1N1 Influenza at the Hospital said that the chances of the baby developing symptoms of flu are very less, but the mother was kept away from the child for eight days.

BMC students for flu surveillance

Fifty final year students from the Bangalore Medical College (BMC) will chip in to conduct the H1N1 Influenza surveillance being jointly conducted by the Health department and Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).  The surveillance will commence on September 22 and have students divided in teams of two. They will carry out the survey in K R Market and surrounding areas for two to three days.

"The students will be given the tasks of creating awareness about H1N1 Influenza amongst the residents, tracing out H1N1 positive persons and getting details about their family members. They will also look for people with flu-like symptoms and brief them about the dos and don'ts," said an official from BMC.

He added that although there were over 8,000 households in the area, the students plan to cover around 300 families.

BBMP has approached five medical colleges to help them conduct the surveillance for the viral flu. A meeting was convened by BBMP on Thursday with the medical colleges to chalk out the plan of action, but only two medical colleges - BMC and St John's Medical College - were present.

 BBMP surveillance officer Dr Manoranjan Hegde, said, "On the basis of the surveillance report sent by us, it will be decided whether to continue the survey or not." BBMP has covered 2,900 families, till now.