A media professional gives tushar joshi an exclusive, first-hand account of life inside Mumbai's only quarantine ward for swine flu patients
Au00a0media professional gives tushar joshi an exclusive, first-hand account of life inside Mumbai's only quarantine ward for swine flu patients
I was excited at the prospect of travelling to a foreign country, but little did I know it would put my family and me under so much stress.
When I returned to Mumbai from a South East Asian country last Friday, I felt my health had deteriorated. I wasn't feeling weak, but I developed cough and cold.u00a0
Worried that these were symptoms of swine flu, I decided to get myself checked at the Kasturba Gandhi Hospital opposite Arthur Road Jail where patients with the deadly H1N1 virus are quarantined in an isolated ward.
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Inside the ward
I have been staying at the special ward for swine flu patients. The ward is divided into three sections and houses about 20 patients who are suspected cases of swine flu. Each section has three beds that are divided by curtains.
It is compulsory to wear two masks throughout the day. The nurses and attendants in the ward cover themselves completely to prevent contracting the virus.
Although it is a government hospital, it is very clean and maintained well. The attendants disinfect the place at least four times a day.
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Living inside the ward can be difficult, especially when you are battling a deadly virus and are staying without your family.
But we have a wonderful team of doctors who are always willing to help. The doctors are friendly, answer all your queries and do their best to keep patients who are under tremendous mental and emotional trauma at ease.
Daily routine
It's like any other day for all patients inside the ward. We are served breakfast comprising bread slices and milk at 8 am.
Lunch and dinner are served on time and I also eat fruits sent from home. We are in touch with what's happening in the world because patients are allowed to carry mobile phones and laptops.
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We don't have a prescribed routine inside the ward. We can do what we want, but within the confines of the ward.
Nobody stops you from communicating with other patients. But there's not much interaction because everyone is scared and keeps to themselves.
The atmosphere is tense, especially because many children from Pune and Panchgani were admitted in the past few days with symptoms of swine flu.
Treatment
There is a seven-day quarantine period once you are admitted to the hospital. After the initial tests, another test is conducted on the fifth day.
The results take some time because the samples are sent to a laboratory in Pune.
If the results are negative, you are discharged immediately. The treatment continues if the results are positive.
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However, there is no briefing on swine flu or any orientation when you are admitted to the hospital.
Since the number of people who show symptoms of swine flu are increasing at an alarming rate, authorities at the hospital are trying their best to improve and hasten the process.
But I hope authorities do something about screening passengers at the airport. When I arrived from abroad, nobody bothered to conduct a medical check.
I just had to fill a mandatory form that asked if I had visited any country affected by swine flu. There were no doctors either.
As told to Tushar Joshi
(The girl's name has been withheld for privacy)
Govt Officeru00a0u00a0Gets The Flu
State Excise Commissioner u00a0I S Chahel has tested positive for swine flu and admitted to Kasturba Hospital. He was in London last week and had complained of viral fever.
New Vaccine
Swiss drugmaker Novartis has begun injecting its swine flu vaccine into people in the company's first human tests.
The vaccine is being tested in a year-long trial of 6,000 people of all ages in Britain, Germany and the United States.
The vaccine will be available before the trial finishes. The trial will test the vaccine's safety and whether one or two shots are necessary.
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