Alert in Madhya Pradesh after first swine flu death in Bhopal

The Madhya Pradesh health department has sounded alert after one swine flu death was reported in the state capital during the past 24 hours, senior health officials said here on Wednesday.

The Madhya Pradesh health department has sounded alert after one swine flu death was reported in the state capital during the past 24 hours, senior health officials said here on Wednesday.

HT Image

Indore has already reported four swine flu deaths so far this year, triggering fears of its spread in other parts of the state. Seven deaths were reported from Bhopal last year.

Chief medical and health officer (CMHO) Bhopal Pankaj Shukla said the victim was a 35-year-old woman resident of Vidisha who had been receiving treatment at a private hospital in Bhopal for the past few days. The doctors said she was brought to Bhopal (about 50 kms from Vidisha) in a critical condition where she succumbed to her illness on Tuesday.

The health department officials claimed that she had incurred the infection in Nasik (Maharashtra) where she had been receiving treatment at a nursing home. However, in a rush to reach her home in Vidisha on Diwali, she left the treatment midway. Soon her condition deteriorated and she died while undergoing treatment at the hospital, the officials said.

Issuing advisory, the chief medical and health officer said the people should wash their hands after visiting public places and keep at least one-metre distance from a person suffering from the infection.