Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar: A team of experts from the center (New Delhi) including a microbiologist, an specialist of respiratory diseases and an epidemiologist today arrived on a three day visit to Gujarat to study the reasons behind the spread of swine flu and prepare a comprehensive report suggesting additional measures to contain the H1N1 virus caused disease which has so far claimed over 280 lives in the state this year.

The team consisting of Dr. Lalit Dar, Professor in the Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences(AIIMS) New Delhi, Dr Deepak Bhattacharya Head of the Pulmonary and Respiratory medicine department of Safdarjung hospital of Delhi. and Assistant Director, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, Dr Sanket Kulkarni held meetings with minister of state for health Shankar Chaudhary and Health commissioner Jayanti Ravi and other officials at capital Gandhingar first and also visited Ahmedabad civil hospital to take stock of the treatment and testing facilities.

Minister Chaudhary later said that the team discussed various points pertaining to the disease. It however expressed satisfaction about the following of laid down protocols with regard to the testing and treatment and surveillance. ‘It was particularly satisfied with the surveillance measures which would help the state in containing the disease in longer run,’ he said.
Superintendent of civil hospital M M Prabhakar said that the team held a meeting of the hospital authorities, AMC health officials and National Health Mission’s Gujarat Director Gaurav Dahiya. It also visited the test lab and the isolation ward.

The team will visit Rajkot tomorrow and go to civil hospital there and day after tomorrow it would hand over a report to the Gujarat government in Gandhinagar before returning to Delhi.

DeshGujarat