Doctor tests positive for swine flu in Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH - Another doctor has tested positive for influenza A (H1N1) virus in Chandigarh, taking the number of such cases to 62, health officials said here Sunday.

The 36-year-old doctor runs a coaching centre for MBBS entrance exam. With the detection of this case, the number of doctors and other medical staff who have tested positive for the virus in this union territory has reached 16.

We had collected the nasal and throat swab samples of this patient yesterday (Saturday) and her reports have come positive. She is being administered Tamiflu and is responding well to treatment, said nodal officer of swine flu H.C. Gera.

Health officials have quarantined her family, including five members, at their residence here in Sector 15 and told them to close their coaching institute for at least one week,” he said.

Till date, over 450 suspected cases have been reported in Chandigarh, of which 62 tested positive. Three casualties have been reported in this region so far.

The testing facility is available in the virology department of the PGIMER that is catering to the needs of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.