Swine Flu claims 57th casualty in Pune

Pune, Sep 22 (PTI) Swine flu has claimed its 57th casualty
in the city with a 46-year-old man succumbing to the virus.

Ambadas Shivratri succumbed to the infection at a private
hospital here in the western state of Maharashtra Monday
night.

As the virus continued to spread, authorities decided
that Tamiflu tablets, which were available so far only through
government channel for patients treated at designated
hospitals, will now be made available under schedule X of the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Act to five wholesale and
seven retail dealers in the city.
Pune has been reeling under the onslaught of the infection
for the last three months.

According to a spokesman of FDA, the retail outlets were
housed in the premises of main hospitals of the city and the
chemists would be required to keep a copy of the prescription
given to the patient in duplicate.

This was aimed at preventing misuse of the drug, he
added. A consignment of around 36,000 Tamiflu tablet has
already arrived in the city, health department sources said.

A continuous screening by civic and state health
authorities is leading to detection of more positive cases
everyday, putting pressure on National Institute of Virology
(NIV), the only government agency entrusted with H1N1 test
samples. PTI HBJ