Vapi man is Mumbai’s 6th swine flu victim this year

A 49-year-old man from Vapi, Gujarat, who died of swine flu (H1N1 infection) at Jaslok Hospital in Peddar Road on Monday, became the sixth swine flu victim at a Mumbai hospital this year.

A 49-year-old man from Vapi, Gujarat, who died of swine flu (H1N1 infection) at Jaslok Hospital in Peddar Road on Monday, became the sixth swine flu victim at a city hospital this year.

The man was diagnosed of the infection at Prince Ali Khan Hospital where he was brought in ‘critical’ condition from Gujarat. “He already had acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and multiple organ failure when he came to the hospital,” said Dr Azizullah Khan from Prince Ali Khan.

On Monday night, the patient was shifted to Jaslok Hospital, where he died within 45 minutes of hospitalisation. “The patient was on ventilator support throughout his hospitalisation and also had diabetes. We had even increased his dose of Oseltamivir [anti-swine flu medication],” said Dr Om Shrivastav, director, infectious disease department.

The victim’s family members have also been given Oseltamivir, said doctors. “We gave them a prophylaxis [treatment given to prevent a disease] dose,” said Dr Khan.

This year, 31 Mumbaites have contracted the infection, of which 10 cases were reported on Tuesday. This is the highest number of swine flu cases recorded by the civic body in a day. “Eight of the newly detected patients have been admitted to hospitals, the rest are taking treatment at home,” said Dr Mangala Gomare, chief epidemiology, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Since January, the BMC has recorded 54 cases of swine flu, of which 23 do not live in the city.

The state has recorded 40 deaths and 205 cases of swine flu since January.

At present, eight people battling swine flu are in critical condition, of which two are Mumbai residents. “Critical patients from outside Mumbai are shifted here for better treatment,” said Gomare.