India is well prepared with 10 million doses of Tamiflu tablets and can produce 18 million doses of the drug within a span of three weeks in event of an emergency, stated Dr Surinder Singh, Drugs Control General of India.
There are four companies which have applied for license for production of Tamiflu. These are Ranbaxy, Cipla, Natco and Hetro Drugs. Bangalore-based Strides Arcolab has also commenced the commercial supplies of oseltamivir capsules, the generic equivalent of Tamiflu.
Of the available antiviral treatments for swine flu, WHO has reported that cases in the US were sensitive to oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) but were resistant to amantadine and rimantadine. Tamiflu and Relenza also have a preventative effect against Influenza virus A. On April 27, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has recommended the use of Tamiflu and Relenza for both treatment and prevention of the new strain. The tablets have an expiry of 7 years and can be stored for long periods.
Swine flu is a viral disease of pigs caused by a RNA virus belonging to the family Orthomyxoviridae. The 2009 swine flu outbreak is an epidemic that began in Mexico resulting out of a new strain of influenza virus were identified in the US and several other Northern Hemisphere countries.
In India, around 50,000 tourists from flu affected countries are being screened and suspects are quarantined. There were two swine flu suspects quarantined at the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) who are admitted to the SARS Isolation ward at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases in Bangalore. The blood samples and throat swabs have been sent to the National Institute of Virology, Pune and the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, (NICD), Delhi. The reports are expected in the next 48 hours.
According to Dr. SM Byregowda, joint director, Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary there are no cases of swine flu reported so far in the pig population too. India has an estimated 135.18 million pig population. The disease among pigs spreads form close contact or through contaminated material, feed and water.
The RNA virus is spherical in shape , carries envelop with two surface antigens known as Heamagglutination (HA) and Neuraminidase (NA). The viruses are classified based on the variations in these HA and NA antigens. H1N1 is the virus type in present outbreaks where as H5N1 is the avian virus involved in recent Avian Influenza outbreaks. The viruses involved in present disease situation were found to be made up of genetic elements from four different flu viruses: North American swine influenza, North American avian influenza, human influenza, and swine influenza virus typically found in Asia and Europe, stated Dr. Gowda.