The nursing home of Nutan Ali at Mango. (Srinivas)

Jamshedpur, Sept. 15: After a month’s reprieve, the swine flu virus is once again threatening steel city residents.

Nutan Ali, a doctor and the owner of a nursing home at Mango, along with her daughter have tested positive for H1N1.

“I had been to New Delhi to visit my daughters and stayed there for a week. My younger daughter was down with cold when I left for Jamshedpur on September 9. The next day, I came to know that she was swine flu positive,” said Ali.

She said her daughter had been admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and was afraid she might have contracted the disease while staying there.

On reaching Jamshedpur, I informed Swarn Singh, the district nodal officer for swine flu, and apprised him of the matter, she said. “I requested the doctor to examine my and my younger daughter swab. We both are running fever. I had thrice been to MGM Medical College & Hospital with my daughter for swab test, but the authorities said we did not need one ,” she said.

Singh had given Ali two files of Tamiflu. “I requested the civil surgeon and nodal officer to provide me with anti-viral drugs for my staff and relatives, but they did not oblige,” said Ali.

Singh confirmed that Ali had been to the government hospital and had met him.

“We had given her two files of Tamiflu and had asked her to be in home in isolation. As the case of Ali and her younger daughter fell under B-category of the disease, we did not feel it necessary to conduct a swab test on them. Such tests are only done on patients belonging to C-category, which means serious condition,” said Singh.

On being asked if Tamiflu can be administered on people as precautionary measure, he said: “The medicine is not a precautionary measure for simple cough and cold. It is administered on patients who have been tested positive for swine flu.”