Maharashtra Govt invokes Epidemic Act to contain swine flu

Mumbai, Aug. 4 (ANI): A day after 14-year-old Pune school girl died of the deadly swine flu, Maharashtra Government on Tuesday invoked the Epidemic Act in Pune and Satara districts to check the spread of swine flu.

"The Act has been invoked to prevent spread of this air-borne A (H1N1) virus in the two districts (Pune and Panchgani) where 127 cases have been reported," said Dr Pradeep Awate, senior official in Maharashtra Health Directorate.

So far, 150 cases of swine flu have been reported in entire Maharashtra since April when the epidemic broke out in Mexico and US.

"We are asking all the patients to get admitted in government hospitals and people should not go to private hospitals. Also, the private hospitals should not take any suspected patients as they do not have any right to do tests unless they take permission from the government," Awate said.

If the private hospitals do not follow this mandatory steps, severe action will be taken against them, he added.

Incidentally, Jahangir is the first private hospital that treated a swine flu case outside the three civic hospitals that have become the main referral centres during the last month in Pune.

Reedal Shaikh, a class IX student of St Anne's High School in Pune, died at the Jahangir Hospital on Tuesday. (ANI)