Over 870 cases of swine flu have been recorded in the national capital in the last three weeks, taking the total number of people affected by the H1N1 virus in the city this year to 2,835, according to a report of the Directorate General of Health Services on March 11.



As per the report, the death toll due to swine flu in Delhi this year still stands at six. The city had recorded 1,965 cases till February 18 and on Monday the number of people affected by the H1N1 infection rose to 2,835, it said. The report had also mentioned deaths of five more persons from comorbidity.

As per the report of the six persons who have died of swine flu this year, one belonged to Delhi, while the rest were residents of other states. Amid the mounting cases of the H1N1 infection in the city, the Delhi government had in February issued a health advisory, prescribing the do's and don'ts. Medical Director of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital Kishore Singh said the hospital is well-equipped to handle swine flu cases with adequate stock of medicines.

However, two Centre-run hospitals here have reported 13 deaths due to swine flu this year. Seasonal Influenza (H1N1) is a self-limiting viral, air-borne disease spread from person-to-person, through large droplets generated through coughing and sneezing, indirect contact by touching a contaminated object or surface (fomite transmission like telephone, cell phones, computers, door handles etc) and close contact (including hand shaking, hugging, kissing), the advisory said.

The symptoms are fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, difficulty in breathing. Other symptoms may include body ache, headache, fatigue, chills, diarrhoea and vomiting and blood-stained sputum. There are three categories of H1N1 influenza -- A, B and C. After holding a state-level review meeting on H1N1, the Delhi government recently said all government hospitals in the city are equipped with necessary logistics required for the management of the disease and drug oseltamivir along with personal protective equipment (PPE kits) and N95 masks are also available. The advisory also asked people to avoid crowded places in the swine flu season and stay more than an arm's length distance away from persons sick with flu.