A Survey to Assess the awareness of Swine Flu among General Population in Sri Venkateshwaraa Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Puducherry

The new strain of Swine influenza called H1N1 is responsible for the swine flu outbreak in 2009 in humans. The swine flu in humans is most contagious during the fi rst five days of the illness although some people, most commonly children, can be contagious for up to ten days.³ In 2011, there were only 34 cases reported the entire year, compared to 1,405 in 2010 and 3,047 in 2009.² Aim of the study was to assess the awareness of swine flu among general population at Sri Venkateshwaraa Medical College Hospital and Research Centre. Cross sectional survey design was adopted and was conducted at outpatient departments in Sri Venkateshwaraa Medical College Hospital and Research Centre. 1770 general population were selected for the study by convenient sampling technique. Questionnaire which was prepared based on general information about swine fl u, cause, mode of transmission, and prevention of spread of infection and demographic variables was used to collect data from 1770 samples by face to face interview method. The study findings revealed that over all awareness on swine flu among general public were not fully satisfactory. Present study found that health care providers seem to play an insuffcient role in the education of the public. People should be enlightened about early diagnoses and prevention of spread of infection.