Health authorities ignored swine flu alert: DAK

KL Report

SRINAGAR

Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) Thursday said that health authorities in Kashmir ignored swine flu (H1N1) outbreak alert.

President DAK and H1N1 expert Dr Nisar-ul-Hassan said: “We sounded swine flu alert well in advance to which health authorities were indifferent and insensitive.”

“The sudden spurt in swine flu cases across the country few months back should have alarmed health officials but instead they chose to be in deep slumber,” he said. “The health officials should have prepared in advance by capacity building and response capacities to protect people from the deadly virus.”

Health authorities, he said, should have set up isolation wards and kept logistics available in advance to combat H1N1 outbreak.

“The health officials instead of taking proactive response to the outbreak concealed laboratory confirmed cases which resulted in alarming upswing of H1N1 patients in the valley,” he said.

“This criminal activity of hiding swine flu cases by health officials is responsible for spread of H1N1 virus in our community and has resulted in deaths which could have been prevented by timely intervention.”

Health officials instead of rapid response and containment of H1N1 outbreak are holding press conferences to cover up their failures, he said.

DAK urges concerned authorities that schools should remain closed till outbreak is over as this intervention of social distancing will reduce transmission risk of H1N1 among children.

“Children below 05 years of age are high risk and they should be vaccinated against H1N1 as the virus in them can be fatal.”

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