Hours before Visakha Utsav’s first day events commenced, two suspected cases of swine flu have been reported in the city on Friday and one of them, a six-year-old boy died a few hours after he was brought to the King George Hospital after treatment at different private hospitals for past 20 days.
A seven-year-old girl who is suffering from fever and cough for the last one week is being treated.
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The boy, from China Gantyada was having fever and was vomiting for the last 20 days. He was brought to the KGH around 1 a.m. in a critical state after getting inadequate treatment at private hospitals at Gajuwaka, Narsipatnam and city. A swab was taken following the symptoms and the patient died around 10.30 a.m. on Friday. District Medical and Health Officer J. Sarojini said the boy was also suffering from congenital heart disease. The swab was sent for swine flu test to Hyderabad and the result is awaited.
The girl is from Pendurthi and is suffering with fever and cough for the last one week. Her mother died due to respiratory problem at a private hospital on Thursday. The girl is under treatment and a swab collected from her was sent to Hyderabad for testing.
HRD Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao visited KGH and held a meeting with Dr. Sarojini and Superintendent in-charge of the hospital P.V. Sudhakar, HoD of paediatrics P. Venugopal, District Swine Flu Nodal Officer L.B.H.S. Devi and others.
Earlier, Health Minister K. Srinivas, who is on a visit to the city, said there was no need to panic, though there was a threat of swine flu spreading to AP since it was virulent in Hyderabad from which a large number of people visit Visakhapatnam and other places regularly. Isolation wards and medicines were ready in every district and since homeopathy medicines are also found to be effective people could take them also, Dr. Srinivas said.
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