00:05all right let's get you some updates on the h1n1 situation in the national capital delhi is now
00:11stepping up the precautions against h1n1 with the capital now reporting over 2300 cases 2300
00:18positive cases in the last couple of months alone along with around 650 cases of flu as well now the
00:27delhi health minister pankat singh has said the situation remains under control with adequate
00:31doctors and medicines available now amid the reported cases the delhi government has also
00:36issued the h1n1 alert for schools covering government and government aided and private institutions as
00:44well the education department meanwhile has asked schools to step up awareness and follow basic
00:49precautions to limit the spread of the infection students are also being advised to watch for
00:55symptoms including cough sore throat fever headache breathing difficulties and so on but how does one
01:02tell that what you have is the regular flu or what do you have is h1n1 let me take that
01:08question to my
01:08colleague sneha murdani joining us for more details on the story uh sneha we've been reporting on the
01:13story for the past two weeks really so happy to see that the government has sort of sprung into action
01:18and now advisories are being sent out uh help us understand at the moment since we are seeing a
01:23cocktail of infections really spread out how does one tell that what you have is h1n1 or the regular
01:30flu that does not require immediate attention or testing or a simple rt pcr test can do that
01:35sonal to indicate whether this is h1n1 or it is any other type of flu which is in circulation as
01:41well
01:41plus the surveillance system of the government and that's the reason why the government it says when
01:46we are doing this surveillance we identify which are the viruses in circulation just a moment ago and
01:51some time ago i was at the dg icmr press conference wherein was being indicated that there are several
01:57kinds of flus which are circulating but h1n1 is dominant among influenza a influenza b is there
02:04interestingly covid is also there but clearly not dominant now i also want to take this a little
02:09forward by telling our viewers that if you're not doing an rt pcr it is okay says the government the
02:14government has also said something else which is that wearing of mask isn't important at that point
02:20this point in time certainly taking antivirals without your you know without consulting your
02:26doctor is also not something which is warranted really not needed and also i'd like to say that
02:31two to three days of rest is what the government is advising most important takeaway vaccine again
02:37the government says is only required for very small section of the population people above the age of 65
02:43immunocompromised and that too if the doctor is advising because the government doesn't advise
02:49at this point in time or else if it was so important the government would have included that
02:53in the national immunization program right now not needed says the government of india so a very
02:59interesting take on the situation saying the need of the are really is not too panic yeah i mean
03:05compared to what yesterday we were speaking to experts like somya saminathan because they gave a
03:08very contrary view as well so the government clarifying that really at this point but say help me
03:13understand this the h1n1 virus at the moment has not mutated in a way right the strain is the same
03:19that's what the government also said then why is it that we are seeing a massive spread or a community
03:24spread this time around yes it has mutated that's what the government is saying that there is fair
03:30amount of mutation and the idea and the aim really of the virus is to infect as many people as
03:35possible
03:36in fact we did ask the specific question on then why so many people two reasons a because there is
03:42fair
03:42amount of mutation and there is no antigenic drift is what the government is saying that would have
03:47been problematic which we which was seen in the year 2009 eventually leading to the pandemic because
03:53h1n1 has been around for decades now but the change in the form in the year 2009 that i that
03:59drift is
03:59what the government is wary of that has not happened the same virus has been circulating not change
04:05its form much from last year also more testing is what the government is saying a lot of people are
04:11going in
04:11for rt pcr tests as compared to earlier so if you're looking harder you find more is the simple
04:17logic and that's the reason why the government says that we're not even advising these tests at
04:22this point in time because mostly it will be unnecessary and it'll just cause unnecessary panic
04:27because you know one of the scientists at the icmr along with the dg said i'd say that 98 to
04:3499 percent
04:35of the population and aren't even requiring to go to the doctor or to the hospital i beg your pardon
04:41they of course have to go to the doctor but not to the hospital so there is no reason to
04:45even test
04:45that is something that can be skipped unless it's a it's a immunocompromised patient uh you know tamiflu
04:52is essential even after those crucial 48 hours have lapsed if the government feels that tamiflu
04:58administration is essential for which a positive confirmation is needed then go in for a test or even
05:04that isn't needed is what the government says all right so the government's saying no need to panic
05:08really but what the doctors are also advising at this point is that if you're somebody who's senior
05:12if you're above 60 if you have uh comorbidity as they say or if you are immunocompromised do check
05:19with your doctor if you need that vaccine it could be the difference between curing at home and landing
05:24up in the icu thanks so much neha for joining us
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