Alice Yhoshu
KOHIMA, FEBRUARY 22
The state health department has on Sunday confirmed the third case of swine flu in Nagaland. According to an official statement, the Integrated Diseases Surveillance Programme (IDSP) under the state Health & Family Welfare Department informed that the patient was in Delhi for the past few days and upon detection that he was having flu symptoms, he had consulted doctors and gave sample in Delhi for verification. The patient then travelled to Nagaland on February 20 by flight, a day before his samples tested positive.
On receiving news from Delhi Saturday evening that his samples tested positive for H1N1 flu, the state health department took action and started medication to the patient in Kohima.
The condition of the patient was reported to be stable on Sunday evening.
As a precautionary measure, the department has advised travellers arriving Nagaland from the metro cities to get timely medication from nearby hospitals.
Mention may be made here that when contacted for the status of the state government in regard to the H1N1 epidemic and confirmation of the third H1N1 case in the state, a highly placed official of the health department unexpectedly harassed this journalist verbally that local reporters are “going overboard” questioning the department. When this correspondent stated that the information was being sought only to disseminate the same to the people as well as to sensitize the masses, the health official then rudely asked that a junior officer of the department of information & public relations be contacted for any details.
It may be noted here that though the health department claimed to have issued an official statement through official channel, this daily did not receive any such statement and could avail information about the “official statement” through a mobile application only after pursuing the matter persistently from officials of the two concerned departments .
