Swine flu claims two more lives in Capital

Two more people succumbed to the H1N1 virus taking the total number of deaths due to swine flu in the Capital to nine this year. Of these people, eight have died in February alone. HT reports.

Two more people succumbed to the H1N1 virus taking the total number of deaths due to swine flu in the Capital to nine this year. Of these people, eight have died in February alone.

An 83-year-old man, undergoing treatment at New Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital, died on Friday due to multi-organ failure and a 52-year-old woman died at west Delhi’s Action Balaji Hospital on the same day of chronic pneumonia.

Both the victims were brought to the hospital in a critical condition, with severe lung infection, and had tested positive for swine flu last week.

According to official data, 59 new cases of swine flu were reported from the city on Saturday. With that, the total number of infected persons so far has reached 360.

Maximum cases are being reported from hospitals such as RML, Sir Ganga Ram, Lok Nayak, Guru Tegh Bahadur and Madan Mohan Malviya.

Nearly 50% of the cases have been tested positive by various designated laboratories across the city and the persons having tested positive were not hospitalised.

Though Delhi health minister AK Walia confirmed the spread of virus, he claimed there was nothing to worry as it is just another seasonal viral infection.

However, with sudden rains lashing the city, the temperature has come down sharply and with that the possibility of the infection getting curbed anytime soon.

“The sudden rains mean conducive temperature for the growth and multiplication of the virus. It is some time before the disease gets under control,” said a senior doctor at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.