Hyderabad: With Telangana State on high alert, the Andhra Pradesh government has cautioned all districts regarding the possibility of swine flu spreading in the state.

As AP doesn’t have a swine flu testing lab, all the samples are currently being sent to Hyderabad or to private labs like Ranbaxy. AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday called minister for health Dr Kamineni Srinivas, from Davos, Switzerland, and directed him to take all preventive measures.

Mr Srinivas said, “So far, we have only two confirmed cases of swine flu in which one death was reported from Ongole. The other case was from Kakinada and it was treated. There are 11 other suspected cases of swine flu and the samples have been sent for testing. They are yet to be confirmed.”

He added, “There is no reason to panic as AP is less affected. The entire health department has been put on alert. We have 500 Tamiflu tablets for each district hospital and syrup drops stocks for children. Isolated wards and beds have been prepared in all district hospitals. Masks are also available in plenty.”

“We will approach the Centre for help depending on the situation. Testing of samples is being done at the Institute of Preventive Medicine, which is a joint organisation of both states. We are planning to set up a lab at the NTR University of Health Sciences.”

Meanwhile, AP chief secretary I.Y.R. Krishna Rao conducted an emergency review meeting with principal secretary of Health L.V. Subrahmanyam, and director of medical education Dr G. Santha Rao, to review the swine flu issue and preparedness for the same.

Mr Rao said, “Strict surveillance of the disease, including isolation and administering Tamiflu is on. The health department has been requested to take care and keep sufficient Tamiflu stocked at all places. It has been decided to be on alert and review the issue at regular intervals.” The state has also stocked up on ayurveda and homeopathy medicines for swine flu.

State has hardly any N95 masks:

The N95 or NIOSH 95 particulate respirator masks, which are 95 per cent efficient in filtering the airborne swine flu virus, are not available in Andhra Pradesh. The cost of the masks, Rs 100 to Rs 300 each, is the main reason for their unavailability, say drug store owners.

The US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has certified the N95 masks to be protective enough to disallow any airborne particles from the atmosphere. As doctors mostly use the N95 masks, the demand for them among the public is low. The cost of the masks is also high. People are settling for normal masks which cost Rs 5 to Rs 10.

Drugstore owners are also not procuring them owing to low public demand. Owner of Sri Mallikharjuna Medical and General stores in Vijayawada, N. Nagaraju, said, “Procurement of the costly masks involves higher investment and there’s no guarantee of sales.”

Health officers, meanwhile, say that people do not need to purchase the costly masks. Nodal officer of swine flu in Visakhapatnam, Dr L.B.H.S. Devi, said, “People need not purchase the costly masks. They can prevent the infection by covering their nose with handkerchiefs or a normal mask.”

“People need not purchase the costly masks and they can prevent the We are ready to face any emergency situation regarding swine flu. People need not purchase the costly masks and they can prevent the infection by covering their nose with handkerchiefs or a normal mask.”

Meanwhile one person has died in Prakasam district from Swine Flu and another person from Krishna district has died in Hyderabad. As per the government, there are currently 11 suspected cases of swine flu in Andhra Pradesh.