Mangaluru: The government has managed to contain the influenza A (H1N1) outbreak in the state, while 17, had died of the disease.

Health and Family Welfare Minister U T Khader briefed press on Monday evening at circuit house here and said there was no shortage in the supply of medicines in the state.

He said that 1,157 throat swab samples were tested, of which 285 were tested positive. He informed that,  as many as 73 patients were recovering in the hospitals across the state and 15 were being treated in the Intensive Care Units (ICU). 

In the district, of the 60 samples collected 10 tested  positive and two had died following the infection, he divulged. The numbers, according to the minister were recorded from the beginning of this year.

Through the press, he  urged people not to panic,  as the government along with the help of private medical hospitals have a grip on the situation.

He clarified there was no shortage of medicine. “The supply of required medicines is intact,” he reiterated. He said, the government would display the quantity of medicines available with the government on the health department’s website and advised the drug distributors, to keep a watch on the supply.

The Minister admitted that the five testing labs available in the state to test samples were not sufficient. The paucity of labs posed problems for the patients hailing from North Karnataka. He informed that the government was contemplating to increase the number of labs to 10 across the state to resolve the crisis.

He said the outbreak in the state was due to the migrants as the epidemic in others states, like Gujarat and Assam was at its worst.

He advised people to wear masks while coming in contact with those that have tested positive,  to avoid infection. He told the press persons present, that the salaries of contract doctors hired by the government hospitals has been hiked with the immediate effect from RS 26,000 to 40,000.

He said the government had promised to increase the pay demanded by the doctors and this would be implemented at the earliest. The payment of doctors employed at primary health centers located in places that has population below 25,000 has also been hiked to 42,000 as against to 40,000.