Pune: The H1N1 death toll in Pune rose to 83 on Wednesday after a 55-year-old man from Shirur taluk succumbed to the swine flu virus while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Pimpri. This is the third death in three days. On Monday, a 45-year-old man from Marunji died while being treated at Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital.
A 55-year-old man from Ambegaon, who was recently diagnosed with diabetes, also died the same day. Pune has recorded 19 deaths from the virus in less than a month.
Since January this year, over 250 persons in the State have succumbed to the virus, with Pune recording more than a third of the fatalities.
More than 75% of the casualties reported in Pune are of people who came from adjoining areas to the city and Pimpri-Chinchwad for specialised medical care. Health officials said many patients died because they failed to seek early treatment.
Medical sources said 20 patients undergoing treatment across city hospitals are critical and have been put on artificial ventilation. Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad have recorded more than 630 swine flu positive cases since January, which is 50% of the 1,200-odd positive cases recorded across the State.
The district’s death toll marks a three-fold increase in H1N1 deaths as compared to the 30 deaths in the same period (July-August) last year. Following the 2009 swine flu pandemic, the State witnessed a resurgence of the virus in 2015 after heavy rains. A staggering 8,240 cases were recorded that year, while the death toll exceeded 900.
