Doctors recommend swine flu vaccine

However, another group of health experts say that it might not be necessary for all children and only those who were born premature and with asthma complaint might benefit as the strains keep changing every cycle. Shivani Mohan, mother of a six-year-old girl, is a worried person. Her daughter’s paediatrician advised her to go for a swine flu shot for her child, even as the girl has just got a shot of measles rubella vaccine only a few days ago. 

Shivani says, “My doctor has told me to give an injection to my daughter as soon as possible, since the spell is virulent and severe this time.” 

The doctor consulted by Shivani for her ward is not the only one suggesting the injection, Dr K Baraneedharan, consultant at Gleneagles Global Hospital, is also of the same view, saying that going by the number of cases of swine flu they have come across this season, children are at a high risk of contracting the virus. 

He said, “This time around, we have seen an acute manifestation, though we are not able to gauge the reason. Given the situation, children are at a higher risk.” 

Pointing out that the strains change every cycle, he added that it would be advisable to get the vaccine administered every six months once. 

However, Dr Deepa Hariharan, a neonatologist-paediatrician, says that the shot would be required only for children, who were born premature, or asthmatics or with a heart condition, or with a previous episode of pneumonia. “In the above-mentioned cases, we suggest that the child be administered a shot once a year at the beginning of winter, say around November,” she said. 

Experts also question the feasibility of repeated shots among all sections of people. “In a country like the US, swine flu shot is part of the routine. However, we cannot carry that out in India. With the summer peaking, gradually, the shot will anyway be rendered ineffective,” he said. The number of cases reported across the state has crossed the 1,000 mark.

A 35-year-old man died of suspected swine flu at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital earlier this week. Ramesh, a resident of Tiruvannamalai, had sought treatment at a private hospital. However, a few days later he was shifted to the government facility. 

The report of a test carried out by a private lab dated March 18 accessed by DTNext showed that he had tested positive for H1N1. However, doctors at RGGGH said that he had died a few hours after admission and suspected it to be a respiratory ailment.