Swine Flu H1N! comes back to India in 2015 - get vaccinated !

Swine Flu or influenza  caused by H1N1 type of virus is a particularly dreaded form of influenza and carries with it significant amount of morbidity and mortality. This can be prevented by regular hygiene measures and by taking annual shots of the flu vaccine.  
More than 191 deaths due to Swine Flu have already been reported in the month of Jan 2015 in India (source)
This relatively inexpensive vaccine can readily prevent swine flu and influenza due to other viruses and is recommended in all individuals more than six months of age. For booking an appointment for the flu shot either contact your family physician or get appointment here
You can read more about cases of Swine flu & it related news in some of these links 

http://nathaniclinic.com/blog/swine-flu-resurfaces/
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Mohali-records-first-swine-flu-death/articleshow/46101902.cms
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/chandigarh/mohali-man-dies-of-swine-flu-at-pgi/38076.html
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-02-02/news/58711783_1_swine-flu-93-cases-h1n1

Swine Flu claims 3 more lives in Gujarat

Swine flu claimed three more lives in Gujarat, taking the total number of disease-related deaths in the state to 45 so far this year, said a senior government health official on Tuesday.

State Health Commissioner J P Gupta said that, "Three persons died due to swine flu, one 

each in Surat, Banaskantha, and Anand districts, while 35 new cases were registered today."  

Total 355 persons were tested positive for the H1N1 virus. Out of this, 149 patients have been 

cured and 161 patients are still undergoing treatment. The toll has climbed to 45 in the state so 

far this year. 

According to the official data, fresh cases of swine flu have been reported from Kutch (11), 

Ahmedabad (7), Vadodara (5), Surat (4), and Junagadh (2) districts today. 

Gupta added that one case each was also reported from Rajkot, Amreli, Panchmahal, Dahod, 

Mehsana, Anand, and Bharuch districts today. A team of experts from Delhi has also visited the  civil hospital in Ahmedabad city to take stock of situation of swine flu, sources said. 

Read more: Swine Flu Claims Three More Lives in Gujarat http://www.medindia.net/news/swine-flu-claims-three-more-lives-in-gujarat-146248-1.htm#ixzz3Qn0r5PY9

Private hospitals creating swine flu panic: CMO Gurgaon

GURGAON: District health authorities have accused private hospitals of unnecessarily advising all patients with symptoms of cough, cold and fever to undergo swine flu tests in unauthorized centres, thereby creating panic in the city.

Chief medical officer Pushpa Bishnoi said that these hospitals were unnecessarily prescribing Tamiflu, an antiviral medicine that the government provides free of charge to patients. Officials at private hospital, however, said they were strictly working on directions given by the state health department.

"I called a meeting of representatives of major private hospitals, as we have been getting check up requests for Tamiflu. These doctors are advising almost all patients of cold, cough or fever, to get the H1N1 test done, just to earn a little extra money. Some hospitals such as Paras and Medanta, for instance, are doing so," said Bishnoi.
According to health department officials, private hospitals also suggest patients and their family members to get tests done at laboratories, which are not authorized by the government to conduct H1N1 tests.

A resident of Sector 51, Tripti Singh, didn't know that the swine flu test ought to be done in specific laboratories. "On Monday, my eight-year-old son got mild fever with cough and cold. I went to a private hospital, where the doctor advised to get the H1N1 test immediately at the hospital laboratory," Singh said.

Bishnoi expressed concern about the needless consumption of Tamiflu. "Tamiflu is not a precautionary drug. If patients, who don't have swine flu, take the medicine, their body will develop resistance for the antiviral," she said.A spokesperson of Medanta denied the charge saying the hospital strictly follows the state health department guidelines.

The spokesperson said, "We are strictly following guidelines of state health department to treat patients suffering from H1N1 virus. We have never advised any patient to go through unnecessary tests. Moreover, Medanta is authorized to keep Tamiflu for internal use. We can provide the medicine to patients who are admitted to our hospital. We, therefore, don't need to send patients to Civil Hospital to get the antiviral."

Dr Lal Path Labs, NICD (National Institute of Communicable Diseases) centre in Delhi and PGI Chandigarh are authorized to test samples of suspected swine flu cases in the city. All private laboratories, however, are conducting tests for the swine flu virus. The corporate hospitals are charging anything between Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,500 for providing consultation for and diagnosis of swine flu.

Source