Swine flu reaches the Kashmir Valley

Kashmir reported it's first swine flu case with two persons testing positive for the pandemic flu on Friday. The two persons, a Kashmiri businessman and a student had returned home in Srinagar from New Delhi and Pune respectively and developed the symptoms of the disease on August 12.

"We collected their samples and sent them immediately to the National Institute of Communicable diseases New Delhi on August 12 and the reports confirming the disease were received this morning," director health services Kashmir, Mohammad Amin Wani told rediff.com.

"On the request of their families we have put them on medication and allowed them to stay in their homes in isolation," Wani said. Earlier a girl student had tested positive in the winter capital Jammu early this week which was the first case of the swine flu in the state.

The state government has decided to set up a laboratory at the Medical Institute in Soura, the only tertiary medical facility in the state on war footing. The state government has sounded an alert  and has made arrangement to tackle the pandemic in the state. Two domestic tourists who also had tested positive, however, early this week left the valley before the test results reached the hospital authorities here.