“The reason for Gujarat witnessing so many swine flu cases is that the state has the best surveillance system and higher reporting,” argued Dr Deepak Bhattacharya, one of the three experts who took stock of the swine flu situation in Gujarat from August 22 to 24. “Swine flu should now be called seasonal influenza” was among the team’s key suggestions. We ensured that swine flu messages were shown at 104 cinema screens… 18 rickshaws with posters on swine flu roam around in slum areas. After the 2009 swine flu outbreak in Tamil Nadu, we designed campaigns, IEC materials and a surveillance system. We continued to monitor the spread of virus.” Tamil Nadu is leading the way in swine flu management as it ensured a low mortality rate year after year.

Source: Indian Express August 28, 2017 05:15 UTC