Be cautious against H1N1: People urged

KOCHI: With as many as 14 people, including six children and a pregnant woman, suffering from H1N1 in Alappuzha district, the fear is slowly gripping the neighbouring districts. As a considerable number of people from Alappuzha district visit the city everyday, the Kochi Corporation authorities are planning to implement some urgent precautionary measures.“The Corporation will coordinate with the district administration authorities to make sure that the hospitals are equipped with necessary medicines to contain the outbreak. The medical officers informed us that no H1N1 cases have been reported in the city so far. However, we are planning to take some urgent precautionary measures in this regard,” said Kochi Corporation Health Standing Committee chairman T K Ashraf. With heavy rain forecast for the next few days, the health officials have advised people to exercise caution to prevent the spread of H1N1 virus. The civic body will organise awareness campaigns through schools, colleges and voluntary organisations to impart information about the swine flu and the preventive steps that need to be taken. There are certain etiquette that the public can adopt to minimise contact with the people while in a group. The Corporation will also seek the help of organisations like the National Service Scheme, National Cadet Corps,  Kudumbashree, residents associations and other groups to volunteer for the campaigns to create awareness on swine flu by organising programmes. The Kochi Corporation Health Officer will coordinate the campaigns on swine flu. The officials have also warned the people to consult medical practitioners immediately if symptoms of severe acute respiratory illnesses are noticed.