Monsoon’s first suspected death due to H1N1 in the city has been reported from the civic-run KEM Hospital, with 26-year-old Danishtha Idrees Khan succumbing to the infection at the hospital’s Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) on Saturday.
The Govandi resident had been hospitalised for nearly a week. Hospital sources said Khan was a diabetic and went into acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which led to her death. She is also suspected to have leptospirosis.
However, Dr. Padmaja Keskar, executive health officer of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, said the case will be investigated by the death review committee before being counted as an H1N1 death.
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Medical experts say that H1N1, an airborne respiratory disease caused by the type-A influenza virus, becomes fatal in patients who have co-morbid conditions or get delayed treatment.
So far this year, three H1N1 deaths have been reported in the city: two in April and one in May. The city has recorded nearly 273 cases of H1N1 this year till June.
In Maharashtra, the virus has killed nearly 190 people and infected over 1,700 this year. State health officials said around 70 people were under treatment in various hospitals for the infection.
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Infectious disease specialist Dr. Om Shrivastav, who practises in several hospitals in south Mumbai, said this is the season for viral infections that commonly present with symptoms of fever, cough and cold.
“Besides Influenza A, there are also a lot of Influenza B cases, which are not commonly diagnosed. The key is to maintain caution as there are many strains of influenza which don’t easily respond to medicines, and affect organ functions,” Dr. Shrivastav said. He advised patients not to self-medicate and to see a doctor within 24 to 48 hours of the symptoms showing, and get vaccinated for prevention.