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Swine flu claims 2 more lives, toll rises to 14
Sukhada Tatke & Pratibha Masand, TNN 6 September 2009, 01:57am IST
MUMBAI: Swine flu claimed two more lives in the city and its distant suburbs over Friday and Saturday, taking the total number of H1N1 casualties in
the Mumbai Metropolitan Region to 14.
The BMC, however, maintained that one of the two persons-a woman from Mira Road-had reported negative for the virus the second time she was tested and so could not be included in the disease toll. However, the victim-Urvashi Singh-had tested positive for H1N1 the first time round.
The other victim, 34-year-old A Francisca, succumbed to the disease late on Friday. She was admitted to Holy Spirit Hospital at Andheri (E) on August 9. She developed Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome despite completing the Tamiflu course. She was on ventilator for almost her entire hospital stay.
Civic officials said Francisca might have caught the virus even before they came to know about swine flu outbreak in the city and her condition could have gone unnoticed then. "She did not have any history of other medical complications, but might have come to the hospital in a critical state,'' civic executive health officer Jairaj Thanekar said.
Singh became the zone's 14th swine flu victim when she died at Bombay Hospital on Saturday. She went to Bhagwati Hospital on 13 August and was sent to Kasturba Hospital, where she was put on Tamiflu even before the test reports came; she then tested positive for H1N1. On August 17, she delivered a still-born baby at Kasturba. She was later shifted to Bombay Hospital, but, before that, went through another round of H1N1 test. This test, however, gave a negative result. "So, hers is not a death due to swine flu,'' Thanekar said.
She is survived by her college teacher husband and a four-year-old son. "Her husband has to foot a Rs 4-lakh medical bill. How are we going to pay the bill,'' her uncle asked.
Don't worry: State
The state government feels the disease is under control. Sixty-one persons have died of swine flu in the state so far. "Most cases came late to hospitals," secretary of medical education, Bhushan Gagrani said. The 18 private hospitals in the city screened 26 patients on Friday and Tamiflu tablets were given to 20 people. There are 17 patients on ventilator, of which six are admitted to private hospitals.
Needless to say, I will be counting two more flu deaths. This underlines the policy in India of only counting a death if the patient has H1N1 at the time of death.
Sukhada Tatke & Pratibha Masand, TNN 6 September 2009, 01:57am IST
MUMBAI: Swine flu claimed two more lives in the city and its distant suburbs over Friday and Saturday, taking the total number of H1N1 casualties in
the Mumbai Metropolitan Region to 14.
The BMC, however, maintained that one of the two persons-a woman from Mira Road-had reported negative for the virus the second time she was tested and so could not be included in the disease toll. However, the victim-Urvashi Singh-had tested positive for H1N1 the first time round.
The other victim, 34-year-old A Francisca, succumbed to the disease late on Friday. She was admitted to Holy Spirit Hospital at Andheri (E) on August 9. She developed Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome despite completing the Tamiflu course. She was on ventilator for almost her entire hospital stay.
Civic officials said Francisca might have caught the virus even before they came to know about swine flu outbreak in the city and her condition could have gone unnoticed then. "She did not have any history of other medical complications, but might have come to the hospital in a critical state,'' civic executive health officer Jairaj Thanekar said.
Singh became the zone's 14th swine flu victim when she died at Bombay Hospital on Saturday. She went to Bhagwati Hospital on 13 August and was sent to Kasturba Hospital, where she was put on Tamiflu even before the test reports came; she then tested positive for H1N1. On August 17, she delivered a still-born baby at Kasturba. She was later shifted to Bombay Hospital, but, before that, went through another round of H1N1 test. This test, however, gave a negative result. "So, hers is not a death due to swine flu,'' Thanekar said.
She is survived by her college teacher husband and a four-year-old son. "Her husband has to foot a Rs 4-lakh medical bill. How are we going to pay the bill,'' her uncle asked.
Don't worry: State
The state government feels the disease is under control. Sixty-one persons have died of swine flu in the state so far. "Most cases came late to hospitals," secretary of medical education, Bhushan Gagrani said. The 18 private hospitals in the city screened 26 patients on Friday and Tamiflu tablets were given to 20 people. There are 17 patients on ventilator, of which six are admitted to private hospitals.
Needless to say, I will be counting two more flu deaths. This underlines the policy in India of only counting a death if the patient has H1N1 at the time of death.
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