Re: महाराष्ट्र Fatalities in Maharashtra 525 this wave, total 941
Re: महाराष्ट्र Fatalities in Maharashtra 525 this wave, total 941
Surge in H1N1 deaths alarms docs
Experts worldwide might well have concluded that H1N1 has run its course , but closer home the deadly virus continues to take its toll.
It claimed more lives in Maharashtra in 2010-2011 than any other infectious disease , including malaria , dengue , chikungunya and encephalitis , according to figures collated by the state government.
Between April last year and March this year , 525 people died in the state after contracting H1N1, while 185 fell to malaria. Of these, the most swine flu deaths?221?occurred in the Pune region.
Mumbai was more fortunate. While the city witnessed a steady flow of swine flu cases?1 ,145 patients tested positive during the period?the death toll stood at 39. Equally importantly, most of Mumbai's fatalities happened in 2010.
The statewide death toll in 2010-11 have caused some concern in the medical fraternity since it is 26 % more than the 415 deaths that occurred in 2009-10, the period when the H1N1 pandemic broke out and peaked.
Dr Om Srivastava, an infectious diseases consultant with Jaslok Hospital , said a lot needs to be understood and learnt about the virus' behaviour .
"A notable trend was that the virus had shifted to the rural areas from the cities," he said. "One could call it a migrating pattern of the virus ."
Yet, the government feels confident that the H1N1 virus no longer poses a major public health threat . "The threat from swine flu is negligible , but our vigilance machinery is still very much active ," said Dr Daksha Shah , head of the BMC's epidemiology cell.
Dr DS Dakhure , head of state health services , confirmed that
swine flu was the biggest killer of all infectious diseases in Maharashtra in 2010-11 . But he was quick to point out that not many deaths occurred this year. Dakhure expressed hope that the virus "will be less virulent from now on".
"There is little study or observation to explain why the virus claimed more lives last year than in 2009 , when it was wildly spreading," he said.
The state figures also show that more women have fallen victim to H1N1 than men. Of the 525 lives lost in 2010-11, 308 were women. Around 50 children have died of swine flu during the same period. Dr A C Mishra , director of National Institute of Virology , explained that the infection rate is less in the post-pandemic period since there is immunity within the community ; still, the virus can prove to be lethal for some.
"The virus has not gone away . It has just taken on the behaviour of a seasonal virus and will continue to circulate in the air ," said Mishra . "About 20 to 40% of the population in some areas has been infected and thereby they has some immunity , but vulnerable sections should be on guard."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...N1-deaths-alarms-docs/articleshow/7879965.cms
