The death toll due to swine flu has increased to 28 in Kerman Province, Ali Akbar Haqdoost, chancellor of Kerman University of Medical Sciences announced on Monday, ILNA reported.
All schools have been closed in the province to check the spread of the H1N1 influenza, said said Omid Salajeqeh, public relations manager of the provincial education department.
Health Minister Hassan Hashemi had said Sunday 22 people had died of the virus in the province.
Earlier this week, deputy health minister Ali Akbar Sayyari announced the deaths of four people in the southeast Sistan- Baluchestan Province due to the swine flu. Around 31 suspected cases of swine flu are admitted to hospitals in the provincial capital of Zahedan.
While 132 patients were diagnosed with symptoms of seasonal flu and severe cold, the 31 were confined for suspected H1N1 influenza of whom four had died, said Mahmoudreza Miri, head of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, IRNA reported.
Timely Action
Miri said timely preventive actions such as sampling and testing were taken to detect the type of the virus in one of the national reference labs located in Zahedan.
Swine flu is a human respiratory infection caused by an influenza strain that originally started in pigs. Transmission of the virus from pigs to humans is not common and does not always lead to human flu, often resulting only in the production of antibodies in the blood. If transmission does cause human flu, it is called zoonotic swine flu.
It is thought to occur in the same way as seasonal flu, through coughing or sneezing of infected people. The signs and symptoms are influenza-like-illness (ILI); fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, headache and muscle aches. In some cases, vomiting and diarrhea occurs.
Miri said the elderly, immune-compromised and children under 10 years of age are at higher risk of contraction which necessitates their compliance with safety tips and health precautions.
Precautions
He advised frequent hand washing especially after coughing or sneezing, avoiding close contact with anyone who appears sick, covering the nose and mouth with a double layer tissue, avoiding touching the eyes, nose or mouth and cleaning the environment and workplace regularly with sterilizers, particularly equipment and surfaces shared by others.
Zahedan University of Medical Science has taken prompt action such as holding workshops with provincial hospitals, health centers and schools throughout the province in order to expand preventive services and raise public awareness to address and prevent the spread of swine flu.
Outbreak of diseases such as diarrhea and vomiting during the hot seasons and influenza and colds during the winter are common in the province.
Every year, at the beginning of the cold season increasing incidents of influenza are reported in the country, especially in the southern provinces.
