Noted actress Shabana Azmi has been diagnosed with swine flu during a routine check-up for cough and cold. She is recuperating in the hospital.
However, she is using the time for productive pursuits. “Rarely, do I get a chance to lie back and introspect. This is an enforced break for me,” said Shabana.
“I have not been in contact with any swine whatsoever. But I am in hospital recovering fast,” she said.
H1N1 or swine flu is soon becoming a year long problem, with cases being reported from the country all year round.
H1N1 is often referred to as swine flu because it originally affected people who worked closely with pigs. The virus has since mutated and has affected lakhs of people who have never had any contact with the animal.
In 2009, the World Health Organisation declared it as a pandemic.
Dr Suranjit Chatterjee from Apollo Hospitals, in an earlier interview with FIT, said that if proper precautions are taken, there is no need to panic and the situation can be controlled easily.
The increase in the number of cases being reported may be due to better facilities available for testing and increased awareness among the masses, says Dr Chatterjee. The deaths, however, happen when the patient is late in approaching the doctor. He explains that treatment is effective when the disease is caught early.
Here are the symptoms that you should pay attention to and precautions to be taken.
- Runny nose, sneezing, blocked nose, cough, sore throat, fever, headache and bodyache are all symptoms of swine flu.
- The infected person should cover the mouth and nose so that they don’t spread the virus.
- Wash your hands and cover your face in public to save yourself from coming in contact with the virus.
(With inputs from IANS)
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