Swine flu- nation's toll touches 125

NEW DELHI/BANGALORE: Nine people, including six in Karnataka, died of swine flu on Saturday, taking the country's toll from the infectious

influenza A (H1N1) virus to 125, health authorities said. The death toll in Karnartaka has gone up to 41, second only to Maharashtra, which has seen 59 deaths.

"Six people have died of swine flu in our state during last 24 hours. While five deaths were confirmed late last night, one death was reported today afternoon. All of them had other health complications and also found positive for H1N1," Karnataka state surveillance officer Vasudev Murthi said.

Murthi, who is also one of the nodal officers in charge of controlling swine flu in the state, said: "So far the cumulative death toll due to H1N1 in our state is 41." He said the latest death in the state was that of a 38-year-old woman. One death was reported from Maharashtra and two from Andhra Pradesh, where the toll has reached four, officials said.

In Andhra Pradesh, Rupa Devi, 38, who was admitted to the government-run Chest Hospital a week ago, succumbed to the virus on Saturday. The woman, a resident of Bholakpur area in Hyderabad, was brought to the hospital after she did not get any relief from fever at two hospitals.

Another woman, identified as Lakshmi Devi of Kadapa town, died at a private hospital, where she was admitted Aug 25. The details about the Maharashtra death are not yet known.

The health ministry said 157 people tested positive for H1N1 Saturday, taking the total number of people affected in the country to 4,645 so far. Delhi reported 52 cases, Karnataka 16, Maharashtra 45, Tamil Nadu 28 and Uttar Pradesh six.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka health department did not divulge details of those who died of the flu or the name of the hospitals where they died.

"The step has been taken to avert any sort of panic spread among people due to swine flu. We're only following the guidelines issued by the central health ministry not to reveal the names of H1N1 victims," Principal Secretary (Health) I R Perumal said.

Swine flu kills three more, countrywide toll climbs to 88

NASHIK/BANGALORE: The nationwide swine flu toll climbed to 88 with a teenaged girl and two women dying due to the virus in Karnataka and

Maharashtra while 177 fresh cases of infection were reported from various states.

16-year-old Sunanda Kandawal was admitted to BLD Medical College Hospital in Bijapur in Karnataka on August 24 with fever and cough but had to be shifted to Al Ameen Medical College Hospital next day since ventilator facility was not available at the BLD Hospital, health official said in Bangalore.

The girl, who had also contracted pneumonia, died last night, they said, adding that her swab test confirmed the virus infection. Karnataka now accounts for 20 flu deaths.

In Nashik, Purva Amol Joshi (23), who was pregnant, and Deepali Shinde (20) died yesterday at the Nashik Civil Hospital, A D Bhalsingh, a surgeon, said. Both the victims were local residents.

He said reports from Pune's National Institute of Virology had confirmed that they were suffering from flu.

With three deaths, the countrywide toll has risen to 88. Maharashtra now accounts for 46 fatalities-- 25 in Pune, nine in Mumbai, seven in Nashik, two in Aurangabad and one each in Dhule and Latur.

20 people have died in Karnataka, 7 in Gujarat, three each in Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh and Delhi, two in Uttarakhand and one each in Kerala, Goa, Rajasthan and Haryana.

Meanwhile, 177 fresh swine flu cases were reported across the country taking the number of those infected with the virus to 3273, health ministry officials said in Delhi.

RAIPUR/NEW DELHI: Swine flu has claimed three more lives, including a CRPF jawan, the first fatality in security forces, raising the nationwide

toll to 47.

Y S Rao of CRPF died on August 14 at SIMS Hospital in Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh and his swab test confirmed yesterday that he was suffering from the virus infection, state health director Pramod Singh said. Rao had gone to Mumbai for some official work and fell ill after returning to Bilaspur.

A 47-year-old man, whose name was not immediately available, died in Chennai last night, while a 26-year-old woman, identified as Lakshmi, also fell to the infection last night in Bangalore.

With the latest flu deaths, Bangalore now accounts for 11 fatalities while Chennai two. The toll includes 22 people in Maharashtra and five in Gujarat. Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand have also registered flu deaths.

Swine flu cases climb to 2539
NEW DELHI: A total of 138 fresh cases of swine flu were reported from across the country today taking the total number of those afflicted by the disease to 2,539.

Pune, the epicenter of the deadly virus, reported 62, Mumbai (6), Ahmed Nagar(1), Nanded (2), Akola (1), Jalna (1), Kolhapur(1), Nasik (3), Nagpur (2), Chennai (10), Delhi (12), Bangalore (19), Bijapur (1), Kolkata (3), Silchar (1), Ernakulam (7), Kota (1), Srinagar (2), Jammu(1), Agra (1) and Raipur (1).

Among the cases reported on Friday, only 3 patients have a travel history.

The cumulative laboratory confirmed deaths reported by the states is 48, while Maharashtra reported 27, Karnataka (11), Gujarat (5), Tamil Nadu(2), Delhi (2), Kerala (1).

Health ministry said 13,364 persons have been tested so far out of which 2539 are positive for Influenza A H1N1.

Around 819 out of the 13,364 persons have been identified through entry screening, 1826 through contact tracing and the rest were self reported.

Health screening of passengers coming from affected countries is continuing in 22 international airports. 38,058 passengers have been screened on 20.8.2009. 225 doctors and 172 paramedics are manning 83 counters at these airports. A cumulative total of 5009520 passengers have been screened.

Two more swine flu deaths in Bangalore, nation's toll at 27

BANGALORE: Two women, both aged 27, have succumbed to swine flu in this IT hub, raising the toll here due to the virus to five and across the

country to 27.

With this, Bangalore accounts for the second largest number of flu deaths after Pune, where the toll is 12.

Besides Pune and Bangalore, one person each has died due to the viral disease in Ahmedabad, Nashik, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Raipur and Bilapur and two each in Mumbai and Vadodara.

Shamshad Begum and Shilpa Hegde fell prey to the infection at different hospitals here last night, health officials said today. Their test reports confirmed swine flu virus, they said.

Admitted to Baptist Hospital on August 10, Begum was suffering from shortness of breath for the past three months and from cough and cold and fever lately, Medical Superintendent Chandy Abraham said.

She was diagnosed as a patient with cardiovascular problem and signs of early pneumonia but she later showed symptoms of A(H1N1) influenza and her throat swab tested positive last night, Abraham and a health official said.

Begum, who was in the ICU, showed signs of improvement initially but her condition deteriorated in the last three days, Abraham said.

117 new cases of swine flu reported

NEW DELHI
: As many as 117 cases of swine flu were reported from across the country on Friday taking the total number of those afflicted by the

viral disease to 1,390.

Of the new cases, Mumbai reported the highest of 29 cases, followed by Delhi and Hyderabad at 13 each, Gujarat 10 Bangalore 9 and Kolkata 6.

Out of the 29 cases reported from Mumbai, 28 are indigenous while the remaining case was that of a seven-year old boy with a travel history from the UK.

Pune, which has been the worst affected, reported only four positive cases on Friday. All the four cases reported from there are indigenous with no foreign travel history.

Thirteen cases have been reported from Delhi, out of which 11 are indigenous cases. The two remaining cases are those of a 14-year-old boy with a travel history from Dubai and a 19-year-old youth who came here from Israel.

On the outskirts of the national capital, Gurgaon reported five indigenous cases.

Of the 13 cases from Hyderabad, two had travelled from Singapore, while all the 10 cases reported from Gujarat have no foreign travel history.

All nine cases in Bangalore and six cases reported from Kolkata are indigenous in nature.

Two cases each were reported from Goa and Srinagar, while another is from Panchkula in Haryana.

A total of 6,897 persons have been tested so far of whom 1,390 were positive. Of them 648 have been discharged.

Swine flu toll touches 15 in Pune, India's toll 22

PUNE: Five people, including two septuagenarian women and an AIDS patient, today died of swine flu here taking the death toll in the city to 15.

70-year-old Parubhai Shinde, hailing from Ganesh Nagar in Yearwada, was admitted to a hospital here four days back following high fever and other symptoms of swine flu and died late tonight, health officials said.

Another senior citizen, Bharati Goyal, who was suffering from fever and breathlessness for the last four days, had been on ventilator when she died today of suspected swine flu, sources said.

37-year-old Archana Kolhe, who was shifted to government-run Sassoon Hospital on August 10 with fever and acute respiratory problems from a private hospital, succumbed to the flu in the afternoon, Pune Municipal Corporation Commissioner Mahesh Zagade told reporters.

An eight-month-old boy, Swabhiman Kamble, died late last night in Sahyadri Hospital, a designated private hospital to treat flu patients, Zagade said, adding that reports of his throat swab samples are still awaited.

44-year-old HIV positive Prabhakar Wariager died late this evening of swine flu within hours of his admission to the Sassoon Hospital.

Wairager, hailing from Watgaon village in the district, had earlier tested positive for the swine flu and admitted to the hospital in the afternoon, hospital sources said.

Swine flu: Bangalore woman dies, India toll rises to 20

PUNE/NEW DELHI: A 26-year-old woman died of swine flu at a hospital in Bangalore on Thursday, becoming the 20th victim of the viral disease in

the country. ( Watch Video )

Rupa, 26, was admitted to St. Philomena hospital with H1N1 symptoms on Sunday.

Earlier, an eleven-month-old boy and a 75-year-old woman died in Pune
, taking the toll in Pune, severely hit by the virus, to 12 and across the country to 19. ( Watch Video )

The boy, Rutwik Kamle was admitted first to a private hospital and then shifted to government-run Sassoon Hospital last evening in a serious condition, official sources said. He died early on Thursday morning. ( Watch Video )

Bharti Goyal, who was suffering from the viral infection, died in KEM Hospital here, they said.

With this, the number of flu deaths here has risen to 12 and across the country to 19. Besides the Pune deaths, one person each has succumbed to the virus in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Nashik, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram and two in Mumbai.

Ten people last night tested positive for swine flu in Gujarat, taking the total number of those afflicted by the disease countrywide to 1,203.

While Pune remained the worst-hit area by the disease with 61 new cases being reported from the city, Gujarat's 10 new cases took the number of those infected to 27 in the state.

"All test results that were pending have come and according to them, 10 more people, including three women, have tested positive for swine flu," Gujarat principal secretary health Ravi Saxena said.

The figures include five from Ahmedabad, four from Surat and one from Navsari, Saxena said. In Navsari, a 14-year-old boy has been infected by the virus. According to the available data, a total of 125 fresh cases have been reported, taking the total number of those afflicted to 1,203.

Besides the western region, flu cases were reported from Mumbai (24), Kolkata (3), Bangalore (10), Shillong (1), Goa (1), Delhi (8) and Hyderabad (3).

In Shillong, the 17-year-old male patient had travelled to the UK.

In Bangalore, all of the 10 cases had contracted the virus in the country and had no foreign travel history. Goa also reported one indigenous case. All the eight patients in Delhi and three in Hyderabad had acquired the infection in India.

Flu cases touch new high at 1193

Swine flu continued its surge across the country on Wednesday with 115 fresh cases being reported taking the total number of those afflicted to 1,193.

Pune remained the worst-hit area by the disease with 61 new cases being reported from the city. Mumbai had 24 new cases, Kolkata (3), Bangalore (10), Shillong (1), Goa (1), Delhi (8), Hyderabad (3) and Ahmedabad (4).

All cases reported from Pune and Mumbai are indigenous cases, a senior health ministry official said adding that the three cases reported from Kolkata are also indigenous.

In Shillong, the 17-year-old male patient has a travel history of going to the UK.

In Bangalore, all of the 10 cases are indigenous cases with no foreign travel history. Goa has reported one indigenous case.

All the eight cases in Delhi and three in Hyderabad are also indigenous cases.

Ahmedabad, too, has reported four indigenous cases.

A total of 5,729 persons have been tested so far out of which 1,193 are positive for Influenza A H1N1 [Swine]. As many as 666 cases out of the 5,729 persons have been identified through entry screening, 1,086 through contact tracing and the rest reported voluntarily. Of the 1,193 positive cases, 589 have been discharged.

Seven deaths in 24 hours take swine flu toll to 18

NEW DELHI: With seven deaths by late Wednesday evening — the highest number for a single day till now — India’s swine flu toll rose to 18 on

Wednesday.

India has recorded 1,193 positive cases of H1N1 infection so far — 115 of these reported on Wednesday. The Centre has advised people to stay away from Janmashtami festivities and avoid crowded places which could prove a haven for the virus to spread. Janmashtami will be celebrated over Thursday and Friday.

Because the virus has already earned itself the notorious distinction of being the fastest moving pandemic in history, the health ministry said social distancing measures imposed by people was vital in stopping the virus from spreading. Health ministry joint secretary Vineet Chaudhry said, ‘‘Because the virus is highly contagious, avoiding large crowds or social gatherings is essential. During Janmashtami, crowds will be there and the disease will spread.’’

He added, “What can the government do? People have to take their own decisions. We have already urged people to avoid crowded places. People have to take social distancing measures.”

Meanwhile, in a meeting with all state drug controllers, the health ministry has decided to undertake strict action against those hoarding face masks and illegally selling Tamiflu. Largescale raids are expected over the next few days to dig out illegal trade of the anti-influenza drug, most of which the government said were spurious.

“Retail sale of Tamilfu is not allowed. In our meeting with state drug controllers, we emphasized the need for greater vigil. Shortages won’t be tolerated. This is a public health crisis and a national emergency,” Chaudhry said.

He added that shortage of N95 masks had been reported and said these kind of masks were not recommended for the general public. “Any doctor who is recommending it is doing a great disservice. These masks have to be used only by those who are at risk during testing or collecting or during treatment. It is not for general public,” he said.

The official said even at the international airports, doctors and paramedical staff use only three-layered surgical masks. It is cheap and available in the market, he added. The ministry also held a meeting with generic drug companies like Hetero, Cipla, Ranbaxy and Roche to finalise the delivery schedule of stockpiles of Tamilfu.

Chaudhry said, “We already have a banking agreement with these companies under which they will at all times hold 100 kg stock of the raw material used to make Tamiflu. This will ensure that 7.2 million capsules are kept at all times and can be made available to the government by the company within a day’s notice. We don’t have to pay the companies for holding this stock for us.”

He added, “We will purchase the drugs on a competitive pricing basis with a shelf life of four to five years. By the end of the next two weeks, we will have a stockpile of 30 million capsules to treat 30 lakh people.”

4-yr-old in Chennai youngest casualty

CHENNAI: The H1N1 flu
claimed its youngest victim in the country on Monday as four-year-old Sanjay Balakrishnan died of multi-organ failure

here.

Sanjay, who was admitted to Mehta Hospital in Chetpet in central Chennai on Friday, died after being on ventilator support since Friday, according to N Prahlad, paediatric nephrologist.

The death, the sixth in the country due to H1N1, had the Tamil Nadu government relooking its strategy. On Monday, it gave permission to all private hospitals to admit and treat H1N1 patients in quarantine. The Communicable Diseases Hospital, Chennai, and deputy directors of health in the districts will make Tamiflu available to private hospitals based on specific requirement. The government added Christian Medical College, Vellore, as the second testing centre after King Institute of Preventive Medicine, Chennai, and deployed screening teams across the city. As hundreds of people queued up to get tested, King Institute ran out of testing kits, and the government placed fresh orders.

Even as Sanjay’s family was put in residential quarantine, his elder brother tested positive. At least two more people in his apartment complex have also tested positive.

Early diagnosis could have saved Sanjay: Subburaj

CHENNAI: Four-year-old Sanjay Balakrishnan could have been saved if the disease was detected early, health secretary V K Subburaj

said.

Sanjay was suffering from fever and diarrhoea last week. His paediatricians and the two private hospitals where he was admitted assumed it to be acute gastroenteritis because he had not travelled anywhere at all; neither had he come in contact with people who had travelled abroad.

"When I saw him there (first private hospital where he was admitted), his pulse and BP were low. We shifted him to our hospital for dialysis. Soon, his liver failed. He also developed chest congestion and we had to ventilate him. On Saturday, when tests confirmed him positive for H1N1, he was started on Tamiflu," said Dr Prahalad, paediatric nephrologist, Mehta Hospital.

According to him, the lesson learnt from Sanjay's death was that the disease, easily treatable, need not necessarily show all complications at the same time. "Don't panic. It's wise to rule out H1N1 when there is fever with telltale symptoms. The disease progresses rapidly in children and symptoms are varied. It's an epidemic now and we should not rule out H1N1 because there was no travel history," he said.

At the Mehta Hospital, the security, sanitary and administration staff as well as paramedics and doctors were seen donning masks. The hospital authorities were convinced that the boy was unlikely to have infected anyone. "He was in an isolated ward from the day he arrived. Even the AC and the duct were separate. As a precaution, doctors and paramedical staff who attended on him are being given Tamiflu," a senior doctor said.

Three more cases found in Chennai

CHENNAI: The condition of a four-year-old patient admitted to Mehta Hospital in central Chennai — the only critical H1N1 case in Tamil Nadu —

deteriorated on Sunday while three others who had come in contact with him have tested positive for the virus. The Velachery school where the four-year-old studied has shut down for a week amidst concerns about the spread of the infection. The state health department has called for emergency meetings with multiple agencies on Monday to put in place strategies and resources to counter the pandemic.

The boy who continued to remain on life support systems has developed multi-organ failure. “We have not come across a case like this. His kidneys and liver have failed, now his lung functions are deteriorating. We did a battery of tests for viral disease because his blood counts were going down. He was positive for A (H1N1). His pulse and BP are stable till now. Yet, he is critical and we are doing our best to save him,” said hospital paediatric nephrologist Dr N Prahlad. The patient was in two private hospitals before he was moved to Mehta Hospital in Chetpet.

The source of the boy’s infection is still not clear. The King Institute for Preventive Medicine, which is one of two facilities in the state where tests for H1N1 are being conducted, confirmed three more cases had tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours. One of them is the 11-year-old brother of the critically-ill patient and two others are residents in the same apartment complex in Vijayanagar, Velachery. One of them is six years old and the other is 32.