Monitor News Bureau
Doctors Association Kashmir(DAK) on Friday said a considerable rise in flu-like illness (FLI) has been observed, particularly among the children saying that the flu like symptoms shouldn’t be mistaken for swine flu.
In a statement issued here, President DAK Dr Suhail Naik appealed people not to panic and don’t pay heeds to any rumours as this is only a seasonal flu and not swine flu.
“The seasonal flu, is a viral infection of the respiratory tract caused by an influenza B virus. Symptoms can include fever, headache, runny nose, sore throat, or cough and chest congestion,” he said.
Dr Naik, who is a consultant paediatrician, said every year in winters, Kashmir witnesses outbreaks of the flu, known as seasonal flu.
“Flu season generally occurs during the fall-winter and early spring and is usually self-limiting and non-fatal. The current peak in seasonal flu may take peak when schools will open after long winter break as this viral infection easily spreads from child to child,” he said.
He said this seasonal flu is mainly due to the influenza-B virus as good number of children are developing muscle weakness due to viral myositis which is typical feature of the influenza B virus.
Dr Owais H Dar, General Secretary, DAK said that the number of patients who have tested positive for swine flu are within the accepted statistical range and there seems no impending threat of virus to turn into epidemic as temperatures in the valley are improving gradually.
“People are advised to take rest, take lot of hot fluids, soups to kids and need-based paracetamol,” he said.
Dar said there are some patients who are at higher risk of developing complications due to the flu.
“They are young children less than one year, pregnant ladies and persons suffering from any long term chronic ailment with immune compromise,” he said.
The doctor’s body has also welcomed the government move of setting up of first high-tech N1H1 laboratory for molecular diagnosis of swine flu cases in Jammu and Kashmir.
