Srinagar, Sept 2: In first case of its kind in Jammu and Kashmir, a student from Batra Medical College Jammu got infected with H1N1-influenza apparently without coming in contact with any patient, taking the toll to 23 with three more testing positive in two days.
 The state nodal officer for Swine Flu, Dr Shafaqat Khan, told Greater Kashmir that the 26-year-old postgraduate student did not have any recent travel history and he had apparently not been in contact with any infected patient.
 He said the student might have got infected while visiting some hospital. “There is ever likelihood that he may unknowingly come in contact with an infected patient. But we are not sure how he (student) got infected,” he said, adding the student was sampled last week and his tests arrived today.
 “He has been quarantined and he is under treatment. His condition is stable,” he said.
 He said this was the first instance when such a swine-flu case was reported in the state. “All positive cases so far have been the ones who had traveled to outside state recently. But this is the first time when someone has got infected without any recent travel history,” he said.
 Suspecting there might be more cases of swine-flu in the college, the principal has asked for survey of 91 students who were in contact of the infected.
 Dr Shafaqat said all suspected students would be surveyed tomorrow. “The ones with swine-flu symptoms will be sampled but so far we are not sure what about their condition,” he added.
 He said there was a possibility of more such cases in the state, however, claiming all necessary precautions were being taken to counter it. “We are keeping a check on it,” he said.
 Meanwhile, two more army men deployed in Jammu have tested positive for disease. Ironically, the state surveillance team was given information about the cases by army authorities.
 Dr Shafaqat said the surveillance team was informed about the two infected army-men by the National Institute for Communicable diseases New Delhi. “We did not know that army had sent samples for testing. It is after they had tested positive NICD sent a report about them,” he said.
 “The army-men have been quarantined at the camp and their condition is stable,” he added.
 With this the total number of defense personnel who have tested positive for the disease in Jammu and Kashmir has reached five. Earlier two army-men, one each from Jammu and Kashmir divisions, and a CRPF constable deployed at Humhama here had tested positive for the disease.
 Dr Shafaqat said there has been a communication between state and the defense authorities to take precautions against swine-flu. “We have asked them to purchase equipments on their own as state can not keep an eye on civil as well defense population,” he said.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 2 Sep 2009 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 2 Sep 2009 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 3 Sep 2009 00:00:00 IST