New cases of hantavirus are being reported from various parts of the state but the health department in Andhra Pradesh seems to be still in the denial mode. Apart from the case of a Karimnagar patient, a few cases including two deaths were reported from Nellore district. Yet, no sanitary measures are being taken near the dumping yards, garbage dumps, railway stations and godowns although these areas are highly infested with rodents.

Even after detection of a new case, the health officials have no plan of action to combat the threat which is looming large in the state. With unsanitary conditions prevailing everywhere, which is congenial for rodents, and in the absence of coordination between the health department and GHMC, an epidemic-like situation is not far, if hantavirus cases go undetected and the government doesn’t take necessary control measures.

Despite having modern hospital facilities in Hyderabad people are worried that the state does not have a single testing facility for hantavirus. The blood samples of suspected hantavirus cases are being sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune. If in case a pandemic is erupted, patients have to wait for at least 3 or 4 days before their blood samples are confirmed with the deadly virus. As the virus can go from normal to critical with in short span of just 10 to 24 hours, it is too long and the patients may even lose their lives before the test results are arrived.

Delay in detecting the virus at the early stage will cost heavily on the patients condition as it may lead to cardiac arrest and multiple organ failure. This is clearly evident from the fifty-two year old Bhagavana Rao from Karimnagar district, who is undergoing treatment for hantavirus in a private hospital in Hyderabad. He had suffered cardiac arrest and kidney failure while still undergoing treatment.

As the awareness about the diseases is spreading, more number of suspected cases are being reported from the state.