Take precautions, don't panic:- Docs

Take precautions, don't panic:- Docs
Call it fear or just being careful, general practitioners are witnessing a sudden spurt in number of patients. Thanks to H1N1 outbreak in
many parts of the country, there has been a gradual increase in patients, say docs.

Many doctors TOI spoke to said Nagpurians in the last one or two days are not taking chances. In fact, there is no reason for panic, say doctors. Doctors are also facing patients who are convinced they have swine flu. “They come even if they don’t have any symptoms. This trend has become more pronounced after confirmed swine flu deaths in the country,” said general physician and corporator Dr Milind Mane.

Dr Nitin Gupta, another general physician, said that those who have a common cold or seasonal flu due to weather change now want to eliminate possibility of H1N1. Those with psychological problems or phobia are the worst impacted. He said he had seen a number of cases where people thought they had the virus. Most people don’t know the difference between a common flu and swine flu but imagine they have it, he added.

Many doctors are referring such cases to either Government Medical College and Hospital or Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital. Dr Mane said he had referred a teenage girl to the GMCH. This girl was having symptoms of viral fever like cough, cold and fever, but urged him to get her tested for H1N1. Though not a single patient had tested positive in the city so far, intensive media coverage had increased the panic level. “In fact, it is bound to happen. We advise them and give them medication,” said Dr Mane.