Swine flu claims two more lives in Mumbai, don’t ignore cough, breathlessness, fever

Mumbai city news: Five of the six people who have succumbed to the virus were women

Swine flu or H1N1 virus killed two more people this week taking the death toll to six in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Pointing out the shortened incubation period and faster disease progression seen in recent cases, medical experts have advised doctors from primary and secondary hospitals to diagnose the infection at an early stage as most of the cases are reaching tertiary care facilities at critical stages.

The women died within two to three days of receiving treatment. (Pic for Representation)

The two women who succumbed to the virus hailed from Thane and were referred to Kasturba Hospital. They died within two to three days of receiving treatment. In both the cases, the patients had consulted several doctors which caused delay in treatment.

Civic officials said a 56-year-old woman who died at Kasturba Hospital was admitted on May 19 and died on May 21. The patient had been experiencing classic symptoms of the infection since May 9, underwent a swab test only on May 18 and was diagnosed with H1N1 on May 19. “The patient had been suffering from hypertension for 15 years and was diabetic too. She also had a history of cough, breathlessness, fever and sore throat for which she underwent treatment at Prime Criticare Hospital of Thane for three days,” said a civic official.

In the second case, a 36-year-old woman underwent treatment at more than four hospitals before being admitted at Kasturba Hospital on May 19. A diabetes patient for eight years, she was suffering from cough, breathlessness, fever, sore throat, and malaise. “After receiving treatment from a local private practitioner, she went to a private hospital in Bhandup and then Fortis Hospital, Mulund. From there, she was referred to Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar on May 19, which transferred her to Kasturba Hospital the same day,” said the civic officials.

Five of the six people who have succumbed to the virus were women as the sixth one was an 18-month-old baby boy who died on April 29. Experts said it was a mere coincidence that most of the flu victims were women.

Dr Om Srivastava, an expert on infectious diseases, said, “Since the symptoms have also changed and infection progression has got faster, doctors at primary and secondary settings need to do a swab test as soon as they see unusual cases of fever. If the infection is diagnosed early, it will be treated early and it will stop the infection from spreading to multiple organs or from getting more complicated.”