Vaccine major Serum Institute has commenced a campaign to bring down the number of H1N1 fatal cases in the country. The fatal cases are estimated at 989 out of the 12,401 cases reported in the country between June 2010 and September 26, 2010. In fact, in Karnataka alone 79 deaths were reported in the last 90 days.

The company is now creating a mass awareness drive to help bring down the cases and control the deaths. Karnataka has reported to be the second highest in H1N1 deaths after Maharashtra accounting for 248 deaths from the 4,295 cases. Of the 248 deaths 79 fatal cases came in between June and September 2010.

The National Institute of Virology has confirmed the second wave of the dreaded influenza. The H1N1 activity declined in April and May, but showed a a swift increase from June. The most common cause of death in Swine Flu is respiratory failure. Other causes of death are pneumonia leading to sepsis, high fever resulting in neurological disorders, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance and kidney failure.

“This is alarming and we need to contain the spread through a mass campaign,” Dr Prajakt J Barde, assistant medical director, Serum Institute India told Pharmabiz.

The major task is ensure that one does not get the infection as the virus which is airborne and spreading at a fast pace, he added. Last year the country accounted for 1,531 deaths out of 31,943 cases. This takes the total number of deaths from May 2009 to September 2010 to 2,520 out of the 44,350 cases detected. So far Maharashtra has accounted for the highest number of cases at 9,834 and 900 deaths followed by Karnataka with 248 deaths and 4,295 cases.

The only way to prevent the dreaded influenza is through vaccination, stated Dr. Barde. Pharmabiz had reported that India has two H1N1 vaccines. One is the live attenuated influenza Nasova which is India’s first intra-nasal vaccine from Serum Institute launched on July 5,2010. The other is the VaxiFlu –S single shot intra-muscular vaccine from Zydus Cadila introduced on June 3, 2010.
Serum has also the inactivated injection in two doses of 75 mcg and 10 mcg. The company is awaiting clearance from Drugs Controller General of India for its introduction in to the market. Its Nasova nasal version has achieved 22 lakh doses of inoculation indicating its high acceptability and efficacy, since its launch in July, informed Dr Barde.

According to the World Health Organisation, H1N1 is the most pre-dominant strain in India. The flu is known to be far more fatal than the seasonal influenza. Most H1N1 deaths are in the productive age unlike seasonal flu. The disease is also known to cause higher number of neurological complications in children than the seasonal flu.