Restrictions on visitors must

Hyderabad: Among the facilities lacking in controlling epidemics like swine flu, there is no separate isolation ward in a few hospitals. Some of the swine flu cases are kept along with other critically ill patients, thereby increasing the risk of transmission among the patients.

The visitors, who pass through these wards, also get infected and when they go out to their homes, transmit the infection to other contacts. Hence, infection may spread from one community to another community via the hospitals. Lack of sanitation The government claims to be spending hefty amounts exclusively on sanitation. But, anyone visiting a government hospital would wonder where all the money is going.

Poor sanitation helps in the rapid spread of infection and should be given due importance. Preventive treatment to hospital staff Antiviral prophylaxis (treatment given or action taken to prevent disease) is the responsibility of the government to ensure that all the healthcare workers are given antiviral prophylaxis. But such preventive measures stay only on paper.

These are a few most important steps to curtail the spread of infection, which were given due importance in the guidelines and are practised strictly, in other States. The government must judge for itself the immediate imperative to pay utmost attention to the situation. (The writers are members of JUDA )

By:Dr Md Imran, Dr Abhilash & Dr Kranti