Swine flu killed 4 of 23 in Pune

Out of the 23 deaths that Pune has registered till now following swine flu’s first casualty in the city on August 3, only four patients died purely due to H1N1 infection while rest all had other complications compounded with swine flu, according to state health department, reports Yogesh Joshi.

Out of the 23 deaths that Pune has registered till now following swine flu’s first casualty in the city on August 3, only four patients died purely due to H1N1 infection while rest all had other complications compounded with swine flu, according to state health department.

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The information revealed by Deputy Director of Health, Ashok Laddha reaffirmed experts’ view that fatality rate of swine flu is relatively less than the other diseases like Malaria or common flu. As reported earlier by HT, while India has no data on fatalities of common flu, it causes 2.2 per cent of all US deaths.

Pune’s swine flu tally went up to 23 —the highest so far as compared to any other city- after three more H1N1 affected patients died on Sunday. The large number of deaths as well as positive cases projected the city as an epicenter of swine flu.

However, on Monday Laddha told Hindustan Times that, “In many cases, it has been found that patient had history of other diseases. We found only four patients, who later succumbed, had only and only swine flu”.

The most recent victim two-and-half-year-old Tai Arun Bagal, who died on Sunday, had liver problem. However her health deteriorated in the last two days after she was tested positive of swine flu. In the case of Rida Shaikh, India's first swine flu casualty, the government health department has already said that late diagnosis and delayed treatment caused her death.

District Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar said, “In some cases patients had other complications. But they all were swine flu affected patients. The state government as a procedure has been conducting swab tests of every patient hospitalised in Pune and has flu like symptoms. According to health officials, tests of every patient admitted in various hospitals may give a picture that there is increase in the swine flu fatalities.”

Meanwhile, 137 swine flu cases were confirmed in the country on Monday, taking the total affected to 2,909.