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Gujarat: H1N1 Pandemic 2009-2010; 486 confirmed fatalities

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  • Gujarat: H1N1 Pandemic 2009-2010; 486 confirmed fatalities

    H1N1 claims first NRI victim in Ahmedabad
    TNN 10 August 2009, 12:26am IST

    AHMEDABAD/PUNE/CHENNAI: The higly infectious H1N1 virus claimed its first victim in Gujarat when US-based NRI Pravin Patel (43) succumbed to the contagion at 1.15am on Sunday. This is the fourth death due to swine flu in the country. Unlike Pune and Mumbai, where the patients had contracted infection from a secondary source within the country, Patel died of an infection he probably carried from the US.

    Indicative of the rising numbers, Pune reported 42 fresh H1N1 cases on Sunday - two of whom have been put on ventilator - while the condition of an infected four-year-old Chennai boy turned critical.

    Patel's wife Naina, who too has tested positive, is in the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad. Doctors
    say her condition is stable but she has not been told about her husband's death.

    The Patel couple run a store in Atlanta and had landed in Ahmedabad on July 31 to spend a month with the family. They took a Lufthansa flight from Atlanta to Mumbai and then came to Ahmedabad by Air India. Their three teenage children stayed back in the US to attend school and Patel's mother is with them.

    Patel was admitted to a private hospital after he developed breathlessness and high fever on August 5. On August 7, when his condition deteriorated as his lungs got severely infected, Patel was referred to Civil Hospital where the couple tested positive for swine flu.

    He was transfused four bottles of blood to keep up his haemoglobin levels but the measures failed as the H1N1 virus had badly damaged his lungs. After a round of last-ditch treatment advised by AIIMS doctors who were consulted, Patel died soon after midnight.

    Patel's relatives said a more intensive screening at the airport could have prevented his death. ``He had slight fever and cough and cold when he arrived from US. Had the medical team screening patients at the airport been more careful, they could have warned him of swine flu and advised him special care. My brother would have been alive if there was more vigilance at the airport,'' said Patel's elder brother Dashrath. The visiting couple were staying with Dashrath at his residence in Ahmedabad.

    ``Screening at the airport is non-existent. They just touched my forehead to check fever and said go!'' said Patel's uncle Bhikhu Patel, who recently arrived from New Zealand, and spoke to Praveen some time before his death.

    Gujarat health and family welfare minister Jaynarayan Vyas said that the death should not create panic. ``We are monitoring the situation closely. I respect feelings of the relatives of the deceased. The virus must not have manifested as symptoms, otherwise it would have been detected by the doctors,'' said Vyas.

    Pune, meanwhile, continues to be a major cause for worry. Sunday was the third consecutive day on which the city has reported more than 40 positive cases. With this, the number of H1N1 cases from the city has reached 247.

    The National Institute of Virology (NIV) received 436 throat swab samples on Saturday and more than 600 on Sunday. ``The NIV received six throat swab samples of patients with severe breathlessness from private hospitals in the city on Sunday,'' said an NIV official.

    While the four-year-old in Chennai patient in Mehta Hospital turned critical, three others who came in contact with him have tested positive for H1N1. The Velachery school, where the boy studied, has shut down for a week amid 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 has developed multi-organ failure. ``We've not come across a case like this. His kidneys and liver have failed; his lung functions are deteriorating. We did a battery of tests for viral disease because his blood count was going down. He was positive for 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.

    India News: The H1N1 virus claimed its first victim in Gujarat and fourth in India so far when US-based Pravin Patel succumbed to the contagion on Sunday.

  • #2
    Toll reaches 47 (Gujarat)

    Arya's death has docs worried
    Radha Sharma, TNN 12 August 2009, 10:48pm IST

    VADODARA: Little Arya Burade's death due to swine flu in Vadodara has sent chill down the spine of many parents as the angelic face of the
    seven-year-old victim splashed across newspapers brought the threat closer home. Her case has also left doctors jittery with the rude realisation that even timely Tamiflu intervention may not necessarily work among younger patients.

    Arya is the youngest swine flu victim in the country. A day after her death, Arya's case was discussed in detail by the medical fraternity all over the state. That Tamiflu did not save the child has triggered fear and emerged as a cause for great concern.

    "When Arya came to us, she was suffering from breathlessness, a symptom which indicates that the lungs are affected and the patient needs hospitalisation. We gave her Tamiflu as well as a wide spectrum of antibiotics to help her fight secondary infections but she developed a pneumonic patch. Finally, her body succumbed to the viral onslaught," said Dr Bakul Javdekar, head of paediatrics at SSG Hospital
    , who treated Arya.

    Javdekar said that children under 11 years are deemed more vulnerable to swine flu as their immunity might not be as strong as adults due to less exposure to diseases. "It all depends on the ability of an individual body to fight the viral attack. In some children, it is more and in some less. Currently, there is no option to Tamiflu. But one has to be vigilant. If a young child is suspected of swine flu, parents are advised to keep a close watch. If there is any breathlessness, hospitalise the child," said Javdekar.

    In fact, a research conducted by professors of John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford published in the British Medical Journal says that anti-virals Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and Zanamivir (Relenza) are unlikely to prevent complications in children who have swine flu.

    Health and family welfare principal secretary Ravi Saxena said, "Arya's death has raised worry among all as she did not respond to Tamiflu. Globally, research on treatment of swine flu is just two years old and there are all possibilities of mutation of the virus," he said.

    Local doctors said Arya's death has baffled them and prompted them to be a little more aggressive in their line of treatment of young children who are brought in with H1N1 symptoms.

    "Swine flu has got parents really worried. Generally, in viral infections, once the fever goes down, the child should be playful and active. If the child still appears sick, no chance should be taken. Treatment needs to be aggressive to prevent the child's system from crashing," said consultant paediatrician with Sterling Hospital Dr Jayant Shah, who is currently seeing over 150 cases of common viral infections every day.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Arya's death has docs worried

      Originally posted by GennieF View Post
      Arya's death has docs worried
      Radha Sharma, TNN 12 August 2009, 10:48pm IST

      VADODARA: Little Arya Burade's death due to swine flu in Vadodara has sent chill down the spine of many parents as the angelic face of the
      seven-year-old victim splashed across newspapers brought the threat closer home. Her case has also left doctors jittery with the rude realisation that even timely Tamiflu intervention may not necessarily work among younger patients.

      Arya is the youngest swine flu victim in the country. A day after her death, Arya's case was discussed in detail by the medical fraternity all over the state. That Tamiflu did not save the child has triggered fear and emerged as a cause for great concern.

      "When Arya came to us, she was suffering from breathlessness, a symptom which indicates that the lungs are affected and the patient needs hospitalisation. We gave her Tamiflu as well as a wide spectrum of antibiotics to help her fight secondary infections but she developed a pneumonic patch. Finally, her body succumbed to the viral onslaught," said Dr Bakul Javdekar, head of paediatrics at SSG Hospital, who treated Arya.

      ...

      Currently, there is no option to Tamiflu. But one has to be vigilant. If a young child is suspected of swine flu, parents are advised to keep a close watch. If there is any breathlessness, hospitalise the child," said Javdekar.

      ...

      In fact, a research conducted by professors of John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford published in the British Medical Journal says that anti-virals Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and Zanamivir (Relenza) are unlikely to prevent complications in children who have swine flu.

      Health and family welfare principal secretary Ravi Saxena said, "Arya's death has raised worry among all as she did not respond to Tamiflu. Globally, research on treatment of swine flu is just two years old and there are all possibilities of mutation of the virus," he said.

      ...

      Local doctors said Arya's death has baffled them and prompted them to be a little more aggressive in their line of treatment of young children who are brought in with H1N1 symptoms.
      This is depressing. There are options to Tamiflu. Unfortunately, most Govt's around the world have been encouraged by the WHO et. al. to put all their eggs in one basket.But what concerns me even more is the nonsense now being peddled by the BMJ (above) - the "research" refers to past data on the effect of anti-virals on duration of seasonal flu symptoms. To then conclude that antivirals are unlikely to prevent complications in swine flu is not just poor science but frankly dangerous.

      The treatment window for antivirals is short - but effective compounds are absolutely vital. Unfortunately, Tamiflu resistance has very likely become very widespread - we don't know how widespread because the WHO has asked Govts to stop testing - and then has the temerity to declare they see no evidence for widespread resistance. Absence of evidence is NOT evidence of absence.

      We truly live in an Orwellian world.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Arya's death has docs worried

        Absence of evidence is NOT evidence of absence.
        The scarey part is how many people follow that logic (not).

        .
        "The next major advancement in the health of American people will be determined by what the individual is willing to do for himself"-- John Knowles, Former President of the Rockefeller Foundation

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Arya's death has docs worried

          Vitamin D3 for Amritsar and Selenium for West Bengal and Bangladesh would be GurParsad.

          Snowy

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Arya's death has docs worried

            These schoolgirls fought H1N1, got cured
            |

            AHMEDABAD: Arya's death to swine flu came as a shock and filled everyone with a sense of helplessness, but there are two school girls who hold out
            hope for all those scared of H1N1.

            The girls, who are students of class XI in Navrangpura school, were one of the first few to be tested positive for swine flu after they returned from their year-old exchange programme from Washington, US. Having come out of the ordeal, the duo say that H1N1 is not dangerous and the flu can be easily treated.

            "Arya's death rattled me and I could sense there was a lot of fear among most parents. But there is no need to lose hope. Not all cases develop complications. I was isolated for five days and am perfectly healthy now," said one of the girls whose father is a deputy collector with the state government.

            The girl recollected that initially there was a lot of scare among not just relatives, neighbours, friends but the staff of the hospital. "I was one of the first few swine flu positive cases in the state. There was so much apprehension. People stayed away from me for weeks but it's alright now. Now everything is fine," said the girl. Another girl, who was also isolated in the Civil Hospital as swine flu positive patient, reiterated that there was no need to panic. "My father remained with me and all other flu suspects and gave us moral support. We used to be given regular medicines and the symptoms weaned off. The only thing important is that one should be careful and wear three-layered masks to ensure that you do not spread the disease," said the girl.

            "If any child is suffering from flu, parents should not send him or her to school and get adequate tests done. Early diagnosis is the key. When I was tested I had not developed any complications and recovered easily," said the girl.

            Arya's death to swine flu came as a shock and filled everyone with a sense of helplessness, but there are two school girls who hold out hope for all t

            Comment


            • #7
              Toll reaches 47 (Gujarat)

              Sunday, August 23, 2009,13:44 [IST]

              Gandhinagar, Aug 23: A 48-year-old died of Swine Flu at the SSG Hospital on Sunday, Aug 23, taking the total number of H1N1 deaths in Gujarat to six.

              Dipesh Duttaroy, in-charge superintendent of the SSG Hospital said to news agency that Hasmukh Hingu was admitted to the government-run hospital on Aug 20 with respiratory distress syndrome and had been in a critical stage since then.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Gujarat reports sixth Swine Flu death

                4 test H1N1 +ve in Vadodara

                Sunday, August 23, 2009 10:35 IST
                Vadodara/Surat: Out of the reports of the seven suspected patients which arrived at the SSG hospital on Saturday, four cases of suspected H1N1 were detected positive. While out of the four cases, two cases which were declared positive belonged to Bharuch, due to which the health officials of the city have geared up for necessary actions. On the other hand, two more suspected cases of swine flu were detected at the new civil hospital in Surat on Saturday.

                With these two new cases of H1N1 positive detected from Bharuch, the city has also come under the threat of the epidemic. Out of the two cases, a 52-year-old lady, who was admitted around two days ago following symptoms of the flu, was declared H1N1 positive after the report confirmed it. The lady was suffering from the symptoms of fever, cough when she was admitted to the SSG hospital, after being referred from Bharuch. The blood sample of the lady was sent to Ahmedabad. Meanwhile she was already being treated for swine flu by the hospital authorities.

                The second positive case is a 48-year-old male from Bharuch who was admitted this week following flu-like symptoms. He too is undergoing treatment, the hospital authorities said, adding, "We had informed the Bharuch authorities soon after the two patients were referred to the SSG hospital. A team from Bharuch went to their respective areas to track the source of contamination, but they were unsuccessful."

                The Bharuch civic authorities confirmed of conducting survey and distribution of drugs to the people as a precautionary measure soon after they received the information of two patients admitted with symptoms of swine flu.

                The other two positive patients belong to Vadodara, of which a 3-year-old boy belonging to Subhanpura and was admitted at the pediatric ward of the hospital on August 16 following swine flu symptoms. Another 22-year-old girl who was admittedabout four days ago also detected H1N1 positive. According to hospital officials, the condition of three patients is normal, while the 48-year-old male is serious. While eight more cases with symptoms of suspected swine flu were brought to hospital on Saturday, and only one patient was admitted. With this, the total number of patients treated with symptoms of swine flu in Vadodara has gone up to 92, of whom one has died.

                Two more suspected cases of swine flu were detected at the new civil hospital in Surat on Saturday. The hospital superintendent M K Wadhel said the two patients suspected to be suffering from swine flu have been asked to continue treatment from home. Their samples have been sent for laboratory testing. According to officials, 12 cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Surat so far. No deaths have been reported from the disease so far in the city.

                Out of the reports of the seven suspected patients which arrived at the SSG hospital on Saturday, four cases of suspected H1N1 were detected positive.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Toll reaches 47 (Gujarat)

                  Swine flu claims 5 more lives, nationwide toll reaches 98

                  PTI 29 August 2009, 10:52pm IST

                  A 23-year-old pregnant woman died of the virus at a private hospital in Ahmedabad this morning, taking the toll in the state to eight.

                  Vaishali Kalal was on ventilator since yesterday, health officials said.
                  India News: Five more persons including two pregnant women, one each in Pune and Ahmedabad, died of swine flu, taking the countrywide toll in the pandemic to 98 t

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: 23 yo from Ahmedabad

                    Sat, Aug 29 10:34 PM
                    Ahmedabad Aug 29 (PTI) A 23-year-old pregnant woman today died of swine flu in a private hospital here,taking the toll due to the virus to eight in the state. Vaishali Kalal was put on ventilator since yesterday and she succumbed to the viral infection this morning, Health Department officials said.
                    The hospital had sent her blood samples to the government hospital for swine flu tests in the morning before she died and the sample tested positive tonight.

                    Meanwhile, one more person tested positive of swine flu in the state, taking the total number of cases to 109 so far.
                    Out of those tested positive, eight patients have died while 88 patients have been discharged from the hospitals after the treatment, officials said, adding 12 patients (including those who are tested positive and suspected cases) are undergoing treatment in various hospitals.


                    The search engine that helps you find exactly what you're looking for. Find the most relevant information, video, images, and answers from all across the Web.

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                    • #11
                      Re: 23 yo from Ahmedabad

                      Pregnant woman dies of swine flu; state toll at 8

                      Posted On Sunday, August 30, 2009 at 02:23:04 AM

                      The swine flu toll in the state rose to eight with a 23-year-old pregnant woman falling prey to the H1N1 disease on Saturday morning.

                      Vaishali K Kalal, who died at Rudrakh Hospital in Naroda Patia, was on ventilator since Friday evening. Suspecting swine flu Dr Nayanesh Jiyani, who was attending to Vaishali, had informed the corporation officials. The officials visited the hospital in the wee hours of Saturday and took her samples.

                      Vaishali and her family were administered Tamiflu. However, she died at 8.30 in the morning before the report came in. She was tested positive for the virus. Vaishali was seven month pregnant.

                      Rudrakh Hospital chairman Hitendra Patel said: ?Suspecting swine flu, Dr Jiyani had informed the corporation. A team had come to the hospital at 5 in the morning. However, the woman died at 8.30 am.? Dr Kirti Prajapati, paediatrician at VS Hospital was another person who tested positive on Saturday night.


                      [/SIZE]

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                      • #12
                        Re: 23 yo from Ahmedabad

                        Posted: Aug 30, 2009 at 0418 hrs IST

                        Swine flu: death toll rises to eight, one dies in Naroda

                        Ahmedabad[/B] The total number of swine flu deaths in the state touched eight on Saturday after a suspected patient died at a trust-run hospital here in the morning. Vaishali Kalal (23), was seven months pregnant, and was being treated for pneumonia at Rudraksha Hospital in Naroda. Her condition deteriorated at night and she had to be put on ventilator support around midnight. Both her lungs had developed a pneumonic patch.

                        Kalal?s throat swab samples were later confirmed positive for the H1N1 virus.
                        Dr Nainesh Giani, MD, Rudraksha Hospital, said: ?At the time she was admitted, she had complained of breathlessness, cough and coriza, apart from severe anaemia.?

                        He said: ?Her condition became critical yesterday. We suspected a case a case of H1N1 virus when her condition deteriorated severely and we informed the Health Department in this regard on Friday night itself. A medical team from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation collected the swab samples of the patient at 2 am on Saturday. The patient also had a history of TB.?

                        In the wake of the death, the hospital campus has been sanitised while a total of 45 hospital staff have been identified by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) for contact treatment.

                        AMC Medical Officer Dr Suhas Kulkarni said: ?Our team has visited the patient?s house and the hospital where she was being treated, for identifying the close contacts of the victim. The preventive measures have begun, and we will administer Tamiflu tablets to the close contacts and the family members.?

                        State Health Secretary Ravi Saxena said: ?The patient was showing clinical symptoms of swine flu at the time of admission in the private hospital. The swab samples of the patient have tested positive for the H1N1 virus flu making this the eighth swine flu death in the state.?

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          40 yo from Gujarat

                          September 1, 2009

                          Excerpt:

                          Gujarat toll 9
                          A 40-year-old man died of swine flu here today, taking the toll in the viral infection in Gujarat to nine.
                          Principal Secretary, Health, Ravi Saxena, said the patient Dinesh Agera was first admitted to a private hospital on August 30 and the following day, he tested positive for the virus.
                          "Subsequently, he was shifted from the private hospital to the municipal-run VS hospital last night and today morning he succumbed to viral infection," Saxena said.


                          -snip-
                          http://indiatoday.intoday.in/index.p...ionid=4&secid=

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Pregnant woman succumbs to swine flu in Gujarat

                            Pregnant woman succumbs to swine flu in Gujarat


                            Vadodara, Sept 3 (PTI) A 23-year-old pregnant woman succumbed to swine flu at a city-based hospital, taking the statewide toll to nine.

                            The death was confirmed by state principal secretary (health) Ravi Saxena.

                            Seven-month pregnant Bhavya Dave, who was admitted to SSG hospital on Saturday last, succumbed to H1N1 virus yesterday, hospital superintendent Atul Kumar Saxena said today.

                            The victim had developed swine flu-symptoms on August 21.

                            she was admitted to the hospital with severe breathlessness.

                            Her condition was critical and she was kept on ventilation, he said.

                            This is the second case where a pregnant woman died due to swine flu in the state. Last Saturday, a pregnant woman had died of H1N1 virus infection in Ahmedabad.

                            Saxena said at present there is no positive case of swine flu in the hospital. "Reports of three patients whose swab samples were sent to laboratory is awaited," he said.
                            Twitter: @RonanKelly13
                            The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Pregnant woman succumbs to swine flu in Gujarat

                              Another pregnant woman dies of H1N1 in Vadodara
                              TNN 4 September 2009, 12:38am IST
                              Print Email Discuss Bookmark/Share Save Comment Text Size: |

                              AHMEDABAD/VADODARA: Another pregnant woman succumbed to swine flu at SSG Hospital in Vadodara on Wednesday night. Bhavya Dave, 23, was seven months
                              pregnant.

                              Earlier, Vaishali Kalal, who was also seven months pregnant, had died of H1N1 virus in Ahmedabad. The total toll of swine flu in the state has now risen to nine.

                              Bhavya, a resident of Nizampura area, was admitted to SSG Hospital in a critical condition and was administered Tamiflu. However, her condition didn't improve despite the medications. According to the family members, Bhavya was admitted to Kashiba Children's Hospital for two days on August 23 for check-up related to pregnancy.

                              After being discharged from the hospital, she started showing symptoms of swine flu. "She got cold and cough that later worsened and led to respiratory problems. We immediately admitted her to a private hospital but the doctors there told us to take her to SSG Hospital on August 30 for better treatment," said her husband Rutvij Dave.

                              Bhavya and Rutvij had got married about 1.5 years back. Both stayed in Parsnath Society with the rest of family members. Rutvij works as library attendant in MS University. "Bhavya had developed acute respiratory distress and was put on ventilator since she had severe difficulty in breathing. While treatment started immediately, there were several lapses on SSG's part as the ventilator stopped functioning twice because of power cut," a family member alleged.

                              With Bhavya's death, the swine flu toll in Vadodara has gone up to three. Earlier, seven-year-old Arya Burade and 48-year-old Hasmukh Hingoo, a Bharuch resident, had died due to the H1N1 at SSG Hospital. The health authorities have not been able to ascertain the source of virus in all the three cases till now.

                              "Pregnant women are more susceptible to swine flu complications," senior health officials said. They said that the death of Bhavya as well as that of Arya have led them to believe that Tamiflu might not be the most potent antidote to H1N1 and guarantee to keep the viral complications in check. "In both the cases, they were given Tamiflu in time and yet they succumbed," said a health official.
                              Another pregnant woman succumbed to swine flu at SSG Hospital in Vadodara on Wednesday night. Bhavya Dave, 23, was seven months pregnant.
                              Twitter: @RonanKelly13
                              The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

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