AH1N1: Contacts with patients infected seven

Sixty found positive here:

Nadira Gunatilleke

The total number of persons found positive for Novel Influenza AH1N1 upto date is 60. Seven had been infected due to having close contacts with the infected persons who came to Sri Lanka from abroad, IDH Director Dr. Anura Senanayake said.

Dr. Senanayake said there are 10 patients at the IDH at present while five have already tested positive for Novel Influenza AH1N1. Five more are waiting to be diagnosed. All the other patients recovered completely and have left the hospital, he said.

According to a Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry spokesman, the Ministry follows WHO recommendations while handling the disease in Sri Lanka. The monitoring system is successfully being carried out at the Bandaranaike International Airort. Here 40 PHIs work on a shift basis. Drugs and medical equipment are freely available in Sri Lanka to treat the disease. Eleven more hospitals have been prepared to treat patients if the need arises, the spokesman said.

When the outbreak was reported from Mexico five months back, the Ministry allocated 20 sentinel hospitals in 20 districts to treat (A)H1N1 and also obtained required drugs, medical equipment and masks from WHO, he said. Novel Influenza AH1N1 can spread among humans easily.

The symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of influenza and of influenza like illness in general.