With the national Capital reporting its first two swine flu deaths on Thursday, the country’s A(H1N1) influenza toll has gone up to 36. As many as 159 new positive cases have also been confirmed, taking the total to 2,401. Barring two cases that have a travel history, all new ones are indigenous.
Pune continues to lead the mortality figures with 15 deaths and 66 new cases, followed by Bangalore with nine deaths and 13 new cases. Deaths have also been reported from Mumbai and Nashik (three each) and Ahmedabad, Chennai and Vadodara one each.
Staff Reporter adds: Two patients -- a 38-year-old woman and a 31-year-old man -- succumbed to swine flu at Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.
According to hospital authorities, Renu Gupta had returned to Delhi from Singapore on August 15 and had been unwell since. She was brought to the hospital on Wednesday in a very critical condition. She died late at night. Samrat Pandeya, a businessman, was undergoing treatment since August 14 and succumbed on Thursday morning, they said.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, RML Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr. N. K. Chaturvedi said: “Both patients came to us in a very critical state. They had been showing swine flu-like symptoms for over three days before they came to us. Samrat came in with fever, sore throat and breathlessness. He was in respiratory distress and we tried to give him oxygen, but the next day his condition worsened and he had to be put on ventilator. Samrat’s heart muscles had also weakened because of the flu. He suffered a cardiac arrest in the morning and could not be revived. He was previously treated for the flu at various private hospitals and only when his condition deteriorated was he brought to us.’’
The woman too died of a heart attack after having been brought in a very serious condition.
“The woman was in a critical condition when she came to us and her condition deteriorated rapidly through day. She was unable to take in oxygen and was in acute respiratory distress. She was displaying symptoms of swine flu and had to be put on ventilator immediately. Late at night her condition took a turn for the worse and she died ,’’ added Dr. Chaturvedi.
