After two swine flu cases have been reported in New Delhi, the city government has taken a series of steps comprising smartening up hospitals and giving specialized training to physicians to handle the deadly ailment. 

While providing details of the preparedness, Delhi Health Minister Kiran Walia said that 10 multi-disciplinary teams of experts had been established in order to investigate and verify the occurrence of influenza A (H1N1) infection in the city.

“Elaborate efforts have been made. Doctors and para-medical staff are being trained to handle the situation. Hospitals have been put on alert and their heads have been sensitized to handle the outbreak,” she said.

She added that three hospitals comprising the quarantine division at the international airport, Ram Manohar Lohia hospital and the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan hospital, were completely functional to provide treatment to the swine flu affected persons. 

Moreover, ten other hospitals are also getting ready to cope with the situation.

The ten hospitals include GTB Hospital, Hindu Rao Hospital, Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital, Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Safdarjang Hospital, ESI Hospital, Central Railway Hospital and Maharishi Valmiki Hospital.

The health department has also stocked up 10 million units of Tamiflu drug, and more quantities can be ordered according to the requirement.

“A National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) team has been alerted for outbreak investigations. Doctors of government and private hospitals have been trained to handle the situation,” she added.

"So far the virus is mild in the southern hemisphere including India but the point of worry is that it is a new virus and it may change and become violent. We have to be fully prepared," Walia said.

The minister said a 24-hour toll free helpline 1075 had been started to help people providing information about swine flu, the precautions to be taken and the hospitals where treatment was possible. 

She also appealed to people to be careful about the disease and not to get scared about it.