Two patients, including a woman in an advanced stage of pregnancy tested positive for swine flu (H1N1 virus). Result of the swab tests on them were received late on Sunday night.
The pregnant woman is being treated at the King George Hospital's gynaecology ward and the other patient, a male, at the Government Chest Hospitals (Infectious Diseases Hospital). Both are recovering well and would be discharged in two or three days. Result of a swab test done on another pregnant woman, also under observation in KGH, came negative.
Additional Director of Medical and Health Department T. Geeta Prasadini, who came here as State observer for Pulse Polio programme on Sunday, was asked by the Government to examine the facilities available here to treat swine flu cases after two more positive cases came to light. So far five swine flu cases were reported from Visakhapatnam including one death (of a pregnant woman who also had a severe cardiac problem). City recorded highest number of swine flu cases after Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts.
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She visited King George Hospital, Chest Hospital and some other hospitals on Monday along with District Medical and Health Officer G. Savithri and district nodal officer for swine flu L.B.H.S. Devi. An exclusive ward for swine flu patients with required infrastructure is existing in the Chest Hospital while the KGH authorities were ready to crate an isolation ward with 10 beds in the Intensive Respiratory Care unit, Dr. Geeta Prasadini said.
Pregnant women were more susceptible to swine flu since resistance was less in them in the advanced stage of pregnancy. Lung's capacity would be less due to pressure building up on the diaphragm after the seventh month, she explained. An analysis of swine flu cases of 2010 showed that number of pregnant women was more.
More cases of swine flu being recorded in Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy and Visakhapatnam was due to people from other parts visit these areas more and people from these areas travel more to other parts. Visakhapatnam recorded 29 swine flu positive cases and five deaths during 2009 and 16 positive cases and four deaths during 2010. After a gap of one year, a woman died here on April 8.
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Out of the 393 samples tested in the State since January 1, 111 were positive and 10 succumbed to swine flu, including five in Hyderabad and three in Ranga Reddy.