Nepal, WHO gearing up anti-flu drive for winter
October 25, 2009 11:59 am
KATHMANDU, Oct. 25 — The Nepali government and the World Health Organization (WHO) have focused on following up a strongly non-pharmaceutical intervention in view of coming three months of winter.
"As other seasonal flu or viral activity also increases in the winter season, the possibility of concentration of viral flu cases is high, which makes the time quite risk-prone for the spread of the A(H1N1)," local newspaper The Rising Nepal cited Jitendraman Shrestha, an official at the Department of Health Service as saying.
According to The Rising Nepal, the Nepali government has prepared a broad awareness campaign during the winter season. Some women volunteers have already been mobilized at grass root level.
The Nepali government has displaced the earlier provision of entry screening at various entry points and has adopted a new strategy of non-pharmaceutical intervention.
The Ministry of Health has already stockpiled 36,000 of Tamiflu, the only medicine that is given to the patients with the pandemic flu, The Rising Nepal reported.
"We are also capable to manage 20,000 pieces of Tamiflu within 24 hours if such a need arises," said G.D. Thakur, deputy director of Epidemiology and Disease Control Division.
The first case of the flu was detected in Nepal on June 29, 2009.The total number of confirmed cases of A(H1N1) in the nation now stands at 47. (PNA/Xinhua)
DCT/rsm
[...] WHO gearing up anti-flu drive for winter – Balita News (October 25, 2009) – [read more]KATHMANDU, Oct. 25 — The Nepali government and the World Health Organization (WHO) have focused [...]