A case of suspected swine flu was reported at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences(RIMS) in Ranchi on Saturday. The suspected patient, a 58-year-old woman of an adjoining village, is under treatment in an isolated ward of the hospital.
The blood sample of the suspected patient Jamaluddin,a resident of Giridih, has been sent for test.”The report confirming or rejecting the suspicion is awaited”,said Principal Secretary K Vidyasagar.
The suspected patient is under the supervision of TB and chest department.
Kamaluddin,father of the suspected patient,said that Jamaluddin had gone to Hyderabad to work there in the construction sector as a worker.”After the land was dug up,smell was terrible and Jamaluddin developed pain in his head”,said Kamaluddin.
“This is only one case of suspected swine flu reported from the district and the report is awaited,” confirmed Vidyasagar.
Causes of Swine Influenza
Swine flu is caused by a virus. The most common subtype, or strain, is influenza type A H1N1, and this subtype has also caused infection in people; however, this H1N1 swine flu virus is different from the H1N1 human virus. The letters H and N in the subtype name stand for proteins found on the surface of the virus, which are used to distinguish between different subtypes. Other virus subtypes found among pigs include H1N2, H3N1, and H3N2.
Humans do not normally become infected with swine flu. However, there have been periodic human infections; most of these cases occur in people with direct exposure to pigs (e.g., people working on pig farms or slaughterhouses). People have also infected pigs with strains of human flu virus as well.Courtesy chealth.canoe.ca
